


Milagro

by morphinetune



Series: The Bell Peppers Trilogy [2]
Category: Bright (2017)
Genre: Action, Angst, Birth, Breeding, Breeding Kink, Dark Magic, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Half-orc, Hate Crimes, Hispanic Character, Love, Lovers, Magic, Mental Illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Orc Kids, Orc/Human Hybrid, Orc/Human Relationship, POV Alternating, PoC, Pregnancy, Risky Pregnancy, Romance, Sex, Smut, Violence, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2019-12-18 03:18:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 135,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18241313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphinetune/pseuds/morphinetune
Summary: “What if you don’t come back?”The desperation in her eyes was painful, the fear shaking her voice. Nick held her sides, his thumbs stroking as he looked down at her stomach.His face tightened; he almost couldn’t bare to send her away. “Then you’ll always have part of me with you.” But she was already weeping, her fingers curling into his shirt before he could stop tears springing forth to his own eyes.





	1. COVER PHOTO

* * *

Art & creative writing are (C) of Amy M. Voelker-Hidalgo: [morphinetune](http://morphinetune.tumblr.com/) / [morphinetune-art](https://morphinetune-art.tumblr.com/)


	2. Once More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY FRIENDS. HELLO.  
> I've put SO MUCH WORK and PASSION into this sequel, and I wanna thank all the people who've commented, liked, asked, and shown general interest in Bell Peppers and so far about little details I've spilled in Milagro! It's kept me motivated and I'm so excited to share it finally, so I _really_ hope it doesn't disappoint! 
> 
> And to my beta-reader who dealt with my panic attacks, frantic paranoia and annoying ass 24/7- thank you Robyn. You've become such a special person to me and thank you for helping me with this beast 🖤

Tops of trees whipped harshly against a cruel wind that had brought with it a downpour that lasted all day and danced through the trees of the quiet woods. There wasn’t much of any noise outside the soft pattering of raindrops falling from the canopy onto the mossy floor of the forest, but distant, pleasured whimpers drifted over the glass surface of the pond beside the cabin, seeping from cracked windows to let the slightest of air into the stuffy room. 

They tumbled from her parted lips freely, her head leaned back as her hips rolled forward, their palms together and fingers interlaced for balance. 

His own moans of admiration mingled, watching her climb closer to release as she rocked above him, her skin shining with sweat and her hair plastered around her jaw and neck. Like this, she was something to be worshipped. Something he could trail his hands up and caress as her arms moved above her head, her breasts resting perfectly in his palms. 

A hand pushed into the center of his chest when he curled upwards, a weak resistance lining his expression before his mouth dropped open and head craned back, stiffening his hips when she bounced instead of rolled. Callie smiled breathlessly, hair in her face and in complete control for the moment. Her fingers dug into the firm muscle, his chest expanding with deep moans. His own grip assisted her hips, pulling her harder down his dick; there’d be bruises all over her by next morning. 

But her confidence in keeping the momentum faltered when that cautionary shudder of pleasure shot up from her groin; she was getting closer, weaker. 

“Baby-” she panted, her chest lowering against his, her elbows over his shoulders as she kissed him. 

He barely had to pump his hips upwards, even like this, laid flat with her body over his. The slow, hypnotizing rise and fall of her ass did all the work, her creamy pussy heavying his eyes and leaving him otherwise speechless. 

A familiar, desperate whine resounded in her throat when she dropped all her weight onto him, and he knew to roll them, a hand shoving beneath to hold the back of her neck and the other to hold himself up, looking down where he concentrated tight, shallow snaps of his hips. 

Callie’s cries heightened, eyes fluttering and hands flying up to grip the plush bedding beneath them, her spread knees bobbing at his sides. Nick watched; where he teased that luscious spot, her cunt flushed and swollen from attention, but looked up in time to watch her furrowed brows relax as the orgasm ripped across her. She was a mess of listless squirms and heaving breaths when it swarmed her, the blush moving across her chest and tops of breasts that bounced with his thrusts. 

“ _Diosmio_ -” she breathed, holding his head when he dropped his face against her neck to pepper kisses there, moaning loudly as she pulsated around him. With strangled moans that fought past her clenched jaw, her thighs trembled, tight against his hips as the waves of pleasure became aftershocks that shot up her body, all the while drinking in her mewls, his tongue sweeping between her plump lips. 

Her hands inched down his sides to his swaying hips that now dipped low, switching to deep thrusts that buried him to the hilt. Nick’s moans were loud and clustered, and a smile greeted him when she knew what was coming. “Cum in me baby,” she whispered, earning a loud whine in return, and then his big body arching, his thrusts shortening to concentrated hits, his dick hidden deep in her pussy as he emptied. With a few more dragging strokes, his climax faded, mumbling incoherent words that slipped between Orkish and English, and his body relaxing until his legs gave out and he laid completely over her. The way her lithe hands rubbed up and down his smooth back could put him to sleep, but he could feel semen leaking past where he had her plugged. 

It was hard to part from her when they were like this; stomach to stomach and completely absorbed by her, taking deep breaths of their essences mingling.

She kissed his shoulder until he clumsily kissed her ear, then temple, finally her cheek, giving a few loving smooches upon her lips before rocking back and out, rolling over to fall flat on his back against the numerous blankets, a hand on his chest as he panted. 

Lazily she swung her legs over the side of the bed, wobbling with weak knees across the cold wooden floor to the bathroom. 

He could already feel the chill setting in across the dampness of his skin, and he twisted and yanked until his bottom half was covered by a sheet, still working to catch his breath. Nick’s head craned back into a pillow to look up at the tall windows behind the wide bed, watching the new rain start to filter in through the tall pines that the gloomy, dusky sky let loose. A deep inhale, and he could smell there was no pollutants this high in the mountains. 

_I never wanna leave_. Too bad anniversaries only came once a year. 

When soft steps turned his attention, he found her with cold drinks in hand and wearing her old, tattered Nightwish shirt that she’d cut down to a revealing tank top, her sides bared completely. 

He moved to reach for one, but she pulled it back, pursing her lips, her messy hair framing her pretty face. 

With a quick spin, he was sat at the edge of the bed, holding her hips as he kissed her lovingly, evoking soft giggles as his fingers walked to her ass. 

“Cold cold cold,” she sang, handing over his drink so she could crawl under the covers with him. 

“I do not miss the muggy weather at home,” he stated, pulling her wrist back against his lips as she propped herself up against the metal bed frame. He could feel the goosebumps across her skin.

She hummed with the bottle pressed against her lips. “I’m debating getting my AC fixed,”

“If they’d even fix it,” he clarified. 

She rolled her eyes lazily before taking a sip, closing her eyes to soak in their temporary surroundings. If not for her anxiety, she might’ve been able to better enjoy this week long vacation they were only a couple days into, but the constant thought of ‘this is going to be over soon’ bridled her mind. Even as they swam through the crystal pond beside their cabin or sat tight at each other’s side under the porch of a small cafe they’d found in town, watching the rain come down in sheets with warm mugs in their hands. 

Just for once, Callie would give anything to have actual peace in her mind that only sleep and sex seemed to scare away. 

“When’s your lease up?” he asked, breaking through her thoughts.

“Six months,” she sighed. “I wish I could break it without taking a huge chunk out of my savings. Fuckin’ slum lords,”

“I’ll help you pay for it,” 

“Even if I did I’d have to move in with Rosie or my parents ‘til I can find a new place,”

“Or me,” he stated matter of factly, and she looked down at him. 

“Yeah?”

“I told you I’d ask again when your lease was up,”

“My lease isn’t up,”

“Isn’t it though?” Nick flashed a toothy grin, making her snort. “Move in with me,”

“You wouldn’t mind me being around all the time?” she asked, squirming down so she was on her side with her temple rested in her palm. 

“We’re always at each other’s places as it is. House never felt the same after you left,” he told her, his wrist craning back so he could bump her chin with his knuckles. 

“That it or do you miss living like a king?” she played. 

“Well yeah and I guess you’re kind of good at cooking,” he paused and grunted when she pressed her cold bottle against his side. “I miss you around that much though,”

“I wouldn’t go there expecting not to help pay for anything,”

“Duh,” she tugged on his ear this time. “We’ll figure that out,” he finished, sincerity in his amber eyes.

“Guess I should start packing when we get back.” she smiled, hiding it behind her bottle. 

“So bashful all of a sudden?” he teased, his free hand pulling at her wrist to see her face, but she moved forward until her cheek hit his chest, and he kissed the top of her head as her thigh moved over his. “Won’t have to squeeze into that small ass bed anymore.”

## 6 Months

Her eyes were as dull as the rainy skies, but still moved to track the raindrops streaming down the windows of the warm taco shop. 

He was before her at the booth, his chin in his palm and watching her, knowing her knee was bouncing a mile a minute beneath the tabletop. She still held the styrofoam cup in her hands since they’d sat waiting for their food and it was unsettling just how quiet she was being. He knew how to handle a panicked, frenzied Callie, but not this. 

Nick moved to rest his cheek in his other hand. “What’s up?” he finally asked. 

With a sigh, and looking down at her horchata, she mumbled, “Eight years,”

“At least it’s in a different state,” he tried, but that didn’t even help his own disapproval of the too light sentencing. Even if Gerrald was crippled; a useless leg, missing eye and mental deficits after Callie had near murdered him, it didn’t help lessen the blow knowing he’d be out in the open again one day, even after their attempted murder and kidnapping. 

_Not to mention killing my fucking baby_. Nick withheld a growl; the thought still bothered him. 

Blandly she thanked the worker that brought them their food, forcing a small smile before switching the trays that were given wrongly. “Doesn’t mean he couldn’t make his way back and finish what he started,” she said below the other commotion of people eating around them as she drizzled hot sauce over her shrimp campechana. Nick shrugged. 

“Restraining order will hold up for a while,” he tried as he squeezed limes over his fish tacos.

“It’ll be useless by the time he gets out,”

“We’ll get another. He’s not gonna get to you again,” he reaffirmed, bumping his foot against hers so she looked up at him. The confidence of his tone _was_ reassuring, at least a little. 

They both ate in silence a few beats, and he knew by this time tomorrow she’d be better, but still, he wished better peace of mind would relieve her of the disappointment of the sentencing. Nick sipped his Jamaica, watching her expertly dice up the avocado in her hand to spread over her dish. 

“Does this halt other plans?” 

Her brows furrowed, and his eyes flickered to her stomach than back up, and she understood. “You still wanna try?” she asked, her voice small. 

“Only if you do,”

He grinned when she did, and was inwardly elated to see her nod. “You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” she asked then, her line of sight jumping around nervously. 

He shook his head as he chewed before he could answer, “That thought crossed my mind, but I always ask myself what we’d wait for? There’s marriage but that can always come later. We could spend more time together but I think we know enough about each other that nothing would be a surprise later down the line if we started a family,” he explained, her pretty caramel eyes trained on his. 

_A family_. 

“I would’ve been ready that first time,” she said softly, and his heart wept. She would’ve been round and glowing by now. “I was ready then,”

“I’m ready now,” he assured. 

She scoffed, saying sheepishly, “I feel like we haven’t done much of anything to prevent it all this time,”

“Gotta try harder now,” He cracked, his hairless brows jumping up a few times. 

Callie’s chuckle was muffled by her chewing, her smile also. “Want a bite?” she asked as she extended her arm to offer a spoonful.

## 1 Year

It was hard to scope her out in a place this mixed with scents. Blood, sickness, sterile supplies- it overwhelmed his senses. There were plenty of odd looks in his direction as he walked briskly through the ER, his head on a swivel as he searched, but his demeanor was calm. A great part of him knew what was awaiting even with the few details he was given, but he wouldn’t go to her in such a state of disappointment. What ever he was feeling, she was experiencing tenfold. 

The turn of a corner brought him to the rooms partitioned by glass doors that could glide across rails, and that’s when he saw her form curled up on a stiff bed, an equally stiff hospital blanket over her. 

_Keep your shit together_. 

He pulled the curtain closed behind himself once he stepped into her small corner, and her head lifted, revealing rosy, tear stained cheeks and swollen eyes. 

That was all he needed to know.

Nick leaned over her, arms encompassing her shaking form as she wept against him, the perfuming essence of pregnancy absent from her skin as he burrowed his face against her hair. He stroked the back of her head, his soft _sshh’s_ doing nothing to help settle the torment in her heart. 

All the celebration and jumping in joy in their bathroom when they’d first found out she was pregnant again was colorless, and felt so much farther away then only 9 weeks. It was their own mistake thinking this couldn’t happen again. Even if Gerrald had been the direct cause of the first miscarriage, her preexisting condition had fallen right through the cracks of their minds, leaving them unprepared to deal with this all over again. 

↠

She held his hand through the drugstore, her tired eyes moving over the selections until she grabbed a pack of maxi pads, stuffing them under her arm and moving on. Nick silenced the loud chatter on his radio, still in uniform as they idled slowly through the aisles. 

He could smell the blood on her, and in turn knew she must’ve been uncomfortable. He’d offered to go in alone, but when she said she’d accompany him, he wasn’t wrong to assume she probably didn’t want to be alone. 

Her tired frame leaned against his side while they stood in line. More looks in their direction, and this time he hoped it was on him and not the poorly state of her messy hair and clearly distressed face, or the hospital bands still around her wrists. His arm that hung off his utility belt moved to reach for a candy bar he stuck in the knook of her elbow, and the smallest, saddest of smiles flooded him bittersweetly. 

When their turn came at the counter, as soon as she placed the pads down and the cashier grabbed them to scan, he smiled coyly at her and said, “Uh-oh, watch out- that time of the month, eh?” 

She narrowed her eyes at his round face, and Nick could almost see the flames licking off her form.

“The fuck do you know?” she asked hotly, her raised voice wiping the smile off the cashiers poorly groomed face. 

“Let’s go-” Nick tried. 

“Mind your own fucking business.” She snapped viciously, but Nick had moved her aside so she stepped over stubbornly, rubbing her face heatedly. 

Nick finished the purchase, his killer gaze unnerving the man behind the counter that apologized softly, but Nick had only a hard ‘shut up’ for him before grabbing her items and leaving. 

She kept her head against his arm as they drove home in the cruiser, his hand rested on her thigh and thumb stroking in comforting swipes. He’d felt a few lone tears soak through his uniform, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t talk unless she did, but she seemed at peace with sitting in silence the drive home, her arms occasionally adjusting around his. 

When he stopped in front of the house, a greater majority of him didn’t want to return to work, and he felt the hesitation in her movements when she unwrapped from him.

“I’ll be home soon,” he reminded, and she was gathering her things when she nodded, pausing a moment to look at the floor of the passenger side. Quickly she leaned over to give him a chaste kiss, and that’s when he smelled the tears. 

“I love you,” he near pleaded, holding her hand just a moment before she pulled away. Nick wanted nothing more than to suck this sadness from her, to end all the crying he knew was coming. 

“I love you- I’ll see you later,” she rushed, swinging open the door, but the waver in her voice broke his heart. 

“Callie-”

“I’m fine, I’m okay- be safe, yeah? I’ll see you later.” And she was out of the car, keeping her face downcast as she closed the door and walked briskly up the yard and fumbled to unlock their front door. He waited until the door was closed behind, but still, didn’t move. 

Nick sat with his head hung, and bleakness perched on his heart, the crushing disappointment overtaking him once again.

## 1 ½ Years

“Okay, just- walk this way,” Nick moved her shoulders this way and that as he lead her through the house, her arms outstretched and a wide smile across her face. 

“If you got me a car you should just put me in it,” she giggled. 

“Don’t look,” he instructed before leaving her side. 

She could hear him move away, but could only guess it was somewhere towards the kitchen as she waited impatiently, her eyes cloaked by the shirt tied around her head. There was the rustling of a cardboard box, then Nick’s soft voice… talking to something? Her brows furrowed, and her hands drew in, apprehension filling her. 

“Go, go on! That way!” he hissed softly, and she flinched when she felt something paw and tap against her shins. 

She pushed the shirt up, and the screams of tenderness came billowing out as she reached down to pick up the Merle pitbull puppy that was whining and trying to crawl it’s way up. Callie scooped it up only to sit on the floor, sobbing and laughing as the little animal licked her face and mauled her lovingly, Nick watching from his own spot on the floor with a wide smile.

 

Nick tapped her paw, both of them snickering when it would bob up and down, but the puppy was unfazed, and unwoken, sprawled on it’s back and knocked out after running around all afternoon. Now with the little girl between the two who were also laid on their sides in the middle of the living room, a greater debate was taking place. 

“I like Lou,” she tried, rubbing the pad of her index finger softly over her pink nose. 

Nick shrugged. “Something tougher,”

“Prague,” 

“That’s deadly,” he chuckled. Callie hummed to herself, staring at the black and grey mottled coloration over the white fur, and the zig-zagging pattern that stretched down her front paws. 

“Two Socks,” she offered, and he snorted. “Molly?”

“That’s a white girls name- she’s obviously mixed,” he played, bringing forth a string of chuckles. Callie flicked her head to move her growing hair from her shoulder, leaning into her hand as the dog stretched and rolled onto her stomach, her little tail wagging momentarily. 

“Pucca,” she said confidently, and Nick nodded when it rested nicely in his thoughts. 

“Lil’ Pucca girl,” he repeated, and the puppy’s eyes cracked open, her chin sliding across the carpet to face him. “You like Pucca?” he asked, and she dragged her body towards him as she stretched, licking wildly towards his face. 

“I think she approves.” Callie laughed, watching Nick struggle to get her off his face as she went for his pointed ears.

* * *

“I never said it was your fault!” Nick boomed, holding his hands up in defense. 

“ _‘Why do I need to get tested, it’s not me,’_ ” she repeated in a deep, exaggerated tone, and his anger grew. 

“That’s all I said!”

“In the most condescending tone ever, you fucking moron!” she yelled, her face twisted in insult. 

“That doesn’t mean-”

“Just cause I have a condition doesn’t mean it's my fault!” 

“I never said-”

“You did! It wasn’t word for word but that’s exactly what you meant-”

“I’ve already been tested!” he hollered over her, and her mouth closed, staring in confusion.

“What?”

“I got tested like, 4 fucking months ago because I thought it might’ve been me,” he explained, still defensively. “I wasn’t saying it as a backhanded comment- I was being serious,”

She huffed, her hands fisting awkwardly at her sides and her purse hung uncomfortably on her shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Did you really wanna hear after what happened that it wasn’t me?” he asked calmly, quietly, and she looked away. But Nick saw right through those arched brows and angry eyes. She was bottling that sad realization, but couldn’t for very long. 

“So it is me, then,” she mumbled, biting the inner corner of her lips and her leg starting to bounce. 

“It’s not your fault,”

She scoffed, shakily, her glossy eyes moving up. “That doesn’t help.” was what he caught before she left, leaving him in the changing room of a Target with their bags still on the floor. He could hear her sandals move swiftly out of the hall before silence overtook the rooms, and surely there would be faces peeking out from corners and a few amongst the store that had heard their argument. 

He twisted his neck and rolled his shoulders in agitation. This wasn’t how their day was supposed to go. 

Nick found her some time later, nestled in the corner of the food court at a booth, toying with a leaf hung over her shoulder from a lush line of plants lining the seats. It was clear that any anger had since left, but now he saw the anguish in her slumped shoulders and downcast eyes. 

_My poor girl._

He sat before her, elbows rested on the tables surface until she looked at him. Her big eyes lacked the usual bliss they exuded, and he sighed, reaching until she scooted forward and rested her smaller hands in his. 

“I’m sorry. I want it. I want it so bad it’s all I can think of now,” she apologized softly. 

“Don’t be sorry,” he kissed her knuckles, wanting more than nothing to just move away from that argument. “We can get help. There’s things we can do,”

“I know. I just wanted to avoid needles and doctors,” she exhaled, resting her cheek against their hands. His thumb popped up to poke her nose. “Time to face the music though.”

## 2 Years

The back of her head rolled side to side against the entrance way to the kitchen, watching the front door. Pucca would occasionally paw at her leg, her floppy ears flat as she whined for Callie’s attention only to be shooed away gently. 

“Not right now mamas,” she said, and the door opened. Nick walked in, still in uniform and his Clubmasters on with an impressive bouquet of Asiatic lilies in hand. 

“You’re late- what’re those?” she pushed off the wall as he set his sunglasses down. 

“Happy anniversary baby,” he kissed into her lips, and she smiled, melting into the strong hold around her waist. It was easy to get lost in her like this, and even easier to give into the fever-like rush of heat he felt radiating from his chest and out across his body when they were so close. Nick thought 2 years worth of heat cycles would’ve made it easier to manage, but every month proved it to be a sleeping monster untamable once woken. 

“Are we still going out tonight?” she asked, pushing her panties down her legs as he peeled the velcro of his vest apart and pulled it up over his head. 

“Well yeah, but still.” He grunted when she cupped him over his pants, and the flowers barely made it onto the counter as he tossed them aside, more eager to push her back into the kitchen with his mouth sealed over hers. 

With wet, hard kisses, he lifted her so he stood between her spread knees, pushing up the short summer dress as she unbuckled his belt and pants. 

He growled while he adorned her slender neck with soft bites and licks, her expert touch stroking his already hardened shaft. Callie maneuvered her face to find his, kissing him lovingly before her tongue pushed in his mouth as her thumb rubbed over his tip, moving the precum along his stiff cock. That morning he’d done his best to avoid her, saving his desire for this moment, and when his tip slid down between her lips and he pushed into her slick, heated passage, he groaned loudly, his fingers digging harshly into her sides. 

“Fuck you’re wet,” he sighed against her jaw, already rolling his hips. 

“I used some lube,” she admitted, and confusion lined his expression when he looked at her. 

“You’re not…?”

“I am, but you’re in a hurry,” she comforted him, another light kiss. “Don’t worry about me,” she pressed her mouth softly to his pulse, her arms loose around his broad shoulders. “You can fuck me,” she whined, and a low, guttural growl moved from his chest to hers, pulling her ass closer to the edge of the counter and farther down his dick. He gave into a few slow pumps at first, always in amazement how the sensation of her pussy could make him powerless. 

A pleased gasp fell past her lips when he fired into her, his bared teeth against her cheek as she clung to him weakly, but she could tell he was still holding back, probably to drag this out as long as possible. In heat, Nick wasn't a fan of quickies. He enjoyed drawing it out, leaving her a wordless, begging puddle across the bed or floor, or wherever she was left after his insatiable appetite got the better of him. 

“Like that- fuck me just like that,” she encouraged breathlessly, moving to hold his face. His amber eyes were dilated, and focused, his breath flaring through his nostrils as he inhaled her arousal. “You’re hitting that spot baby- I can feel you in my stomach,” she mewled, and his eyes rolled back. 

In one swift movement, his arms had shoved under her knees and his hands rested flat on the countertop. Like this, with her knees up and spread, he could slam in until he hit her limit. She hung off his shoulders, her head back and bobbing with every hard thrust, and he yanked her dress down to gaze at her bouncing breasts that he wanted to sink his teeth into. He chuffed, leaning down to lave his tongue over a hard nipple, coaxing soft whimpers from her. 

Every cry in his name fueled the burning in his gut, the craving to hear her scream his name. But like this, repeatedly looking down to see his glazed dick disappear into her swollen pussy, he could only last so long. 

“Fuck me fuck me fuck me- you’re doing so fucking good baby,” she chanted, and that was Nick’s undoing. 

With a loud, monstrous yell, he exploded inside her, the long passes of her cunt around his dick milking him until he was spent and shoved as deep as he could get, his head rested on her shoulder. 

“Holy fuck,” he slurred, his arms pulling back to drop her knees beside his hips.

“Wait- put me on the couch,” she breathed, and he looked at her with a cocked brow. “Just do it,”

He listened, carrying her out of the kitchen and resting her on the armrest of their sofa and grunting when he slid out. Her upper half fell back, but her hips remained elevated. He had to avert his eyes- watching his juices leak from her would just get his blood boiling again. 

“Giving them more time,” she smiled, patting her stomach. He nodded, leaning forward onto his hands to catch his breath. “You’ve never cum that fast before,” 

“That was so hot,” he groused, moving to the bathroom. Pucca followed, galloping playfully after him. He grunted again as he zipped his pants and put his smartly pressed uniform back together before pulling his vest on, leaning over her once he’d grabbed his sunglasses. “I’m sorry,” a kiss. “I gotta go,”

“I know, I love you,”

“Love you,” a final kiss, nuzzling her neck to get her to laugh before greeting Pucca quickly. “Wear something cool cause we’re eating outside tonight.” And he had left, leaving the adolescent dog staring at the door before turning towards Callie, a string of soft cries emitting from her. 

Callie giggled, rubbing her thighs together. 

Her hand rested over her flat stomach, and she found herself staring up at the ceiling, silently begging, “Please take. Please take.”

* * *

It was maybe the fifth, possibly sixth time he’d done this that evening and every time her hand landed on the back of his head, watching him press his nose into the skin of her belly and inhale the strong pregnancy pheromones that coated her skin. 

“You’re gonna squish it,” she chuckled, but he shook his head. 

“M-mm, this one's tough. It can handle some tough lovin’,” he said into her flat stomach, not yet swelled this early in her pregnancy. 

“Could be a girl,”

“Still gonna be resilient as hell,” he kissed her stomach. “Aren’t you? You’re gonna be able to kick my ass by the time you’re five, I’m gonna make sure of it,”

“What if it kicks my ass?” she questioned, returning his soft kisses before he rested his head on her shoulder so he could swipe his hand up and down her belly. Looking down at his large hand over her, he wondered how it would look. His dark, patterned skin, or her smooth honey-golden? Maybe mixed? Would it bare the tusks he’d clipped years ago? Her gentle hand rested over his, and his excitement only grew. They’d again made this together, after grueling months of back and forth to doctors offices and shots; the mood swings, scheduled sex that started to stale their love life- it had all paid off with a positive pregnancy test. 

His thoughts were interrupted when Pucca bounded up the bed, flopping herself between them and wiggling back and forth. 

“You can’t pull this shit when the baby gets here,” he scolded her, moving her wide head away as she panted in his face. But she lurched onto her feet, her wagging tail in the air and front legs spread and poised to bolt at a moments notice. 

“She’s gonna do zoomies-” but before Callie could finish, she was rocketing off the bed, the sound of her collar jingling wildly as she raced through the house before barrelling over them again then back out. 

Callie was a ball of laughter despite receiving a few scratches on her legs, and watching Nick chase after her before he caught and tackled her was always comedic. The two growled and wrestled, Pucca slipping from his grasp to bolt from the room but was caught again in the living room. To anyone else, their loud snarls and growls would be alarming. To Callie, it was playtime. 

But she was left alone in bed, her smile fading slowly as her own hands sheltered her stomach protectively. They’d made it five weeks. Everyday she waited for her body to betray her, but they were getting closer to the twelve week mark that meant they’d made it over the toughest hurdle. Everyday she prayed, and begged, and moved cautiously like her own body would snap and attack the small, fluttering life inside her. 

However, minding her steps and taking every precaution she could research didn’t stop that eminent fear, or the swarming daydreaming. She could tell herself everyday, _don’t get ahead of yourself_ , but it didn’t stop her wild imagination that tried to piece together names or how their baby might look.

With a steadying breath, she managed to calm this torrent of reckless thoughts, moving from the bed to follow Nick and Pucca out into the living room.

* * *

She had a room this time. 

It only took him asking the front desk where she was, but the walk across the hospital was one he didn’t think he’d be making a second time. 

His mother had called just as he’d started changing at work, but he only bothered enough to hang his shirt and utility belt before grabbing his keys and racing across town. 

“Callie started bleeding,” was all he needed to hear from that phone call. He had a moment for himself in the parking structure, his face in his hands, sat in his truck, and that was all he’d allow himself. Just a few minutes to fall apart, knowing he’d walk into a room and find his lover in pieces, the end result of a third miscarriage. 

Now as he approached her room, he wondered how much more she’d be able to endure. 

He thought about taking the ultrasound down from his locker, and again putting away the small pile of onesies they’d bought in their breakthrough excitement. 

He dreaded calling family, and telling them again.

Was there even anymore trying after this?

He knocked before entering and found his mom leaned over Callie, her cheek against her head as she spoke softly, rubbing her back. He couldn’t hear what she said before kissing her head and moving her hair from her face as he closed the door, but the look Dinara gave him when she walked to him was like Callie’s great sorrow had rubbed off on her, and she was okay with carrying some of that away if it helped. 

A solid hug and a soft pat on his cheek and Dinara left. 

She rolled as his knee hit the bed, pressing her constricted face into his chest just as hoarse cries rocked her frame, his arms circling her tightly. The warming essence of pregnancy was gone from her skin, and now, all he smelled was stale blood, and sickness. His face sorrowed, hidden against the top of her head as he cradled her.

“I’m so sorry baby. I’m so sorry.” he said into her hair, letting her fall apart against him.

* * *

He spotted the beer hung precariously in her hand before he saw her bun over the top of the lawn chair. Pucca was staring at her, her head rested in Callie’s lap, waiting patiently. The Merle pitbull didn’t move when Nick approached, but instead only wagged her tail when he patted her head, sitting in the lawn chair that was beside and facing hers. 

Sadness was still evident in her distant eyes, but the entirety of her looked collected- like she’d accepted that this was all she’d ever get. That thought unnerved him, but he took what he could get, even if it was in shaky steps like this. 

His fingers rubbed slow circles over her ankle that he could reach, but her other foot was shaking back and forth. A silent attack this time. 

“Talk to me,” he mumbled. A slow shake of her head before she said, “If adoption was something I knew we could fall back on this wouldn’t be so hard,”

Nick nodded. “Stupid rules,”

Callie huffed, about to sip from her bottle when she exclaimed, “Who the fuck are they to decide if crossover couples can ‘responsibly maintain a healthy household’? The fuck kind of shit is that? They wouldn’t even agree to an interview let alone home inspection so how the fuck would they know?” And there went her leg- sliding up so her knee bent and she could sway it side to side, simultaneously chewing the inside of her lips.

“Where’s your pen?” he asked, but she waved her hand. “It helps,”

“I can’t rely on it all the time,” 

“You can if you’d stop feeling bad for how much better it makes you feel,” he argued, his brows moving up when she opened her mouth to protest. A couple seconds of her fiddling with her bottle before she jerked her head in the direction of the house. 

“It’s in my purse,” she confessed, and he rose, Pucca following him in and out as he came back with the metallic pen, already turned on. 

It still made her a little nervous smoking around him, but Nick never complained or disputed. Although he’d never liked it, he made it a point upon walking into the dispensary to ensure she had a cartridge tailored to help with severe anxiety. What had been funny was he was wearing his LAPD shirt when he first visited. Even as he explained it was for his girlfriend, the looks from behind the counter were ultimately confused. 

He watched the smoke run from her nose after her 7 second inhale, and pushed her beer to her face when she coughed, but to watch her body still and shoulders relax as the edge was chipped away silenced any qualms he had about smoking. Finally, something had come along that didn’t affect her like medication did. One long drag, and she was smiling again, gazing at him with molten eyes. 

“Hey troublemaker,” he said softly, greeting a side of his girl he hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing since this all started. 

“Hey baby,” she sighed, grinning. His heart clenched; _you’re so fucking perfect_. 

“C’mere,” he called softly, opening his arms and waiting for her to crawl to him clumsily, landing on his broad chest with her head tucked under his chin and arms tight around him. Nick held her securely, holding his own wrist so his hold didn’t falter. He could stay like this for hours, days. He’d stay like this as long as it meant she was there alongside him.

“I love you so much,” he declared, squeezing when she tightened her hold. 

“I love you more.”

## 2 ½ Years

The air around Santa Monica was painted in hues of orange and pink, and with it the clouds were colored before another storm would roll in that next day. But for that time, Callie kept her face pointed up, watching the sky darken slowly over the beach with Pucca sprawled on one side and Nick leaned back on his hands on her other, his sunglasses moved up and shoes off so he could bury his feet in the cool sand. 

The pitbull dragged herself to Callie, her chin rested on her lap and panting heavily after Nick had thrown her ball back and forth for nearly 30 minutes, and Callie now rubbed her head and ears affectionately, only stopping when she leaned into Nick’s side. 

“I wanna try one more time,”

His head moved up, craning to the side so he could see her face. 

“But if this time doesn’t work, I’m getting my tubes tied or something. I can’t keep doing this,” she settled, disfavor on her face just at the mention of the past 3. 

“We don’t have to try again if you’re not ready,” he told her, his nose landing in her hair when she pressed against him again. 

“I want to. I don’t wanna go on thinking a final shot could’ve been the one, but no more of the doctors and pills, none of that. Just- back to using your nose, yeah?” 

“Whatever you want,” his lips following her as she leaned her head far enough back to kiss him. But a wiggling, whining chunk of a dog squirmed her way between them, kicking sand and getting right in Nick’s face so Callie had no choice but to lean away laughing. 

“Such a jealous brat.”

* * *

The door closed behind him just as Pucca started her high jumps, her vision meeting his at eye level until he’d kneel down and cuddle her, calming some of the ridiculous energy she never ran out of. But his favorite girl didn’t come to greet him like she normally did. 

He found her quickly, laid in bed with her left upper thigh and hip taped over with black plastic wrapping. 

“That’s a big one,” he commented, and she at last turned to look at him, revealing swollen eyes and a pink nose, her cheeks misty. He stopped pulling his sweater off. 

“Hey,” he moved to her side, but she rolled away again. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Does it hurt?” he asked, poking the fresh tattoo. 

“No,” she croaked, rolling on her back. 

“Talk to me then,”

She wiped her hands messily across her face, doing little to dry her skin. “Patricia is pregnant. She stood up in front of everyone with Jorge and was like ‘haha we weren’t even trying but guess what?’” She recited, her face scrunched, but then pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes when angry tears sprung forward. 

A hard puff and her foot shaking wildly back and forth prompted him to mindfully crawl over her and pull her tight against his chest; she was swinging into an anxiety attack. 

“C’mon baby,” he kissed her head, hands still balled against her eyes. “Take another breath,”

Callie only whimpered, exhaling sharply again. 

“Callie, look,” gently he pulled her hands away, revealing soaked eyes. “5 things you can see, c’mon,”

Slowly she scanned through her fingers, her shoulders rigid. “Windows, lamp, lotion, Pucca… chair,” she agonised, sniffling 

“4 things you can touch,” he requested next, curling his wrist to pull the damp hair from her cheeks. 

She glanced up at him, hand patting his chest anxiously. “You,” she started, seeking more fervently. “The blanket… plant,” she pointed to the one hanging in the corner, determination lining her expression; her foot wasn’t moving anymore. “Dent in the wall,”

“3 things you can hear,” Nick had her laid comfortably against his side now, gentle kisses meeting the top of her head every now and then. 

Her ear pressed against his chest, pausing. “Your heart,” her eyes continued to search aimlessly when she kept herself there, her arm curling over his belly. “Neighbors kids,” she added, and looked at Pucca as she trotted out of the room. “Pucca’s collar,” she finished softly, her face drying. 

“2 things you can smell,” Nick mumbled. 

“Scented candle that didn’t cover up the trash that needs to be taken out,” she cracked softly, and he snorted, but didn’t catch the grin barely detectable on her. 

“Hint taken. 1 thing you can taste,” Nick grinned, and she pulled her face up, pursing her lips when he looked back. He pecked her a few times before she dragged her cheek downwards, wiggling closer to him. She felt relaxed under his touch, but it was more of an exhausted, boneless kind. One that he wouldn’t ask her to move from. “That,” she finished. 

“Feel better?” he asked, and her head wiggled in a nod. 

If Nick didn’t respect Luciana and Diego, he would’ve confronted Patricia long ago and ripped into her for being a cold and calculated bitch. 

No words or learned methods really helped when he was just as angry. This feud between them was ongoing as ever and though Callie kept to herself, her older sister always found something to mention that made its way back to her, ensuring it’d saddle her mind for some time. Nick was also certain that she’d announced her pregnancy in such a way just to get under Callie’s skin since they’d shared with family that they were giving it a little more time to try for a baby. 

Animosity boiled under his skin, but a soft chuff was all that would come to the surface. Lashing out about Trish wouldn’t do anything but only keep her in a suspended state of ire.

“What’d you get?” he asked, motioning to her covered leg. 

She sniffled. “Three roses,”

Their eyes met. A commemoration. 

“We have some time left,” she mumbled. 

“It’s gonna happen this time,”

“Happening isn’t the only issue-”

“It’s gonna _happen_ this time, Cal. You’re gonna have a baby in your arms soon, I’ll make sure of it.” he declared, his hand having moved to hold the back of her neck so she couldn’t look away. He understood her reluctance to be hopeful, but Nick couldn’t give up just yet until she threw in the towel. Until then, he’d do what he had to, and hoped with every fiber left in him that this overall confidence that kept a fire under his feet meant there was a miracle coming their way.

## 3 Years

Her fingertips rested at her lips again, eyes closing in concentration. 

Swallowing repeatedly did little, and the smell of the hot pocket Nick had nuked kept hitting her, stirring the nausea in her gut. A small shake of her head and this wave subsided, but not the insistent, nagging thoughts in her mind that had aided to her sluggishness that morning. It was snapping its fingers in the back of her mind while she tried to roll on her mascara, demanding her attention. She almost didn’t even want to acknowledge it, because then it became real, and her heart would inevitably be broken again when her own body betrayed her. 

But a few days of repeated morning sickness and resilient headaches had the longing returning to her heart. She glanced down at her stomach in the mirror, covered by her dark, sheer button-up blouse, but flickered back to the lipstick she was applying. 

If Nick hadn’t been sick, this matter would’ve been settled days ago. One sniff and they’d know. But now, as she pulled her heels on tiredly and clopped out of the bathroom, he was laid across the couch, mumbling at Pucca to go away in a croaky voice, his beanie and hood pulled over his head. She only licked his chin, wiggling higher up his body. 

She caught sight of the hot pocket and that time she almost gave in to the retch that shot up her throat. She’d skip breakfast. 

With her things gathered and hair clipped back into a lazy half-up do, they left, rubbing Nick’s back as he reluctantly headed for the car in misery. 

He planted a few good kisses on her cheek in lieu of getting her sick too, and told her he’d pick her up later, assuming he didn’t die during work from the gnarly cold he’d been fighting. 

If it wasn’t nausea, it was impatience plaguing her that morning. One moment it was wondering if she was going to bolt across the lobby of the bank with a hand clapped over her mouth, another it was contemplating faking further illness to leave early. To imagine spending the entirety of this day at work was torturous. When noon came after hours of rampant imaginings and trying to squash any blind hope in her heart, an idea sprung to mind. 

With a forced smile, she told her co-workers she was stepping out for lunch, walking calmly until making it past the front doors where she borderline jogged to the pharmacy across the parking lot, her debit card clutched in her hand the entire way there. Callie was so nervous holding the pregnancy tests that she punched in the wrong pin 2 times before pinching her own thigh and doing it right. She masked the drugstore bag expertly under a small lunch she purchased from the bakery next door, and quickly slipped them into her purse once making it back to her office at work. 

It was one of those moments she was thankful for little things. Like the normality of a woman taking her bag along with her to the bathroom. 

Her pantyhose ripped high on her thigh in her haste to push them down with her underwear once and nearly flung the test into the air high enough to fly over the stall door after tearing the packaging apart. 

But once the test was used, capped, and in hand, she placed it down, suddenly coming face to face with the moment. 

Now she moved slower, calmer. She organized herself, pulling her long hair over one shoulder as she stood against the stall, staring down at it. 

A glimpse at her wrist watch- _ha_ , it’d only been a fucking minute. 

She rested her head back, exhaling hard. This was making her feel like needles were poking her everywhere. 

Her foot tapped loudly against the tile floor. Now that her appetite was back, it was bothering her immensely. 

_Ah, chinga su madre-_. 

She flipped it, keeping it at arm's length and held there a moment as she stared. 

Callie grabbed the box, examining the example on the back and the one in hand. 

It was real now, and she was already, in only seconds, getting ahead of herself as she stared down at the positive pregnancy test. 

↠

Nick was still miserable when he picked her up, so much that she offered to drive, and he didn’t notice her nervous fidgeting he was normally very attentive to before dozing off. She chewed the inside of her lips, debating if blurting it at him would be too much.

At home, he very dramatically leaned his arm over her shoulder as they walked to the front door, and even flung himself over the back of the couch, Pucca all over him again despite his loud pleas to be left alone. Callie made caldo de pollo that night- something that was kind on both of them. 

Sneakily and with little noise she slipped to the bathroom with the second test just under her shirt, and when it showed positive also, she ran in place, suppressing high pitched squeals. Just as she reached to throw open the door and run to him, she instead placed the positive test on the counter, opting to wait for him to find it himself. Picturing him flying out of the bathroom with the pee stick in hand and his amber eyes wide in disbelief made her heart flutter.

But he made it through dinner without having to use the restroom. 

They cleaned, sluggishly, both of them complaining, and still nothing. She hid her impatience. 

Everytime he passed the bathroom, she tensed, but the last time he came from their room she had to withhold throwing the remote at his head. 

A few minutes into a movie and his head landed in her lap, and she thought _This close he HAS to smell it_ , but halfway in, and he was dozing again. Although she wanted to smack his chest and just order him to the bathroom, she could feel the fever radiating off of him. _Today must’ve been miserable_. 

He flopped onto their bed in only briefs when she finished the movie alone- most of it being spent browsing through her phone to calculate how far along she might’ve been- and this time Callie couldn’t help slamming things a little angrily as she undressed and put stuff away. Three bowls of soup didn’t even stir him enough to pee?!

So with a long sigh, she slumped her shoulders after pulling on a thermal and tights, crawling beside him only to be wrapped tightly in his hold. More waiting, this time until morning would come and he’d have to use the bathroom. Thankfully Nick’s soft strokes across her back lulled her quickly, but her foot still moved back and forth. 

Another chance was blooming inside her, hopefully making itself comfy for the long haul. 

 

Nick felt like his stomach was about to pop when he woke up, his face mashed against the top of Callie’s head and her hair all around him before he detangled from her arm and leg looped tightly over him. On top of denying him any blankets, Callie had set their AC on and left a fan blowing over them that resulted in his fever finally breaking, but touching her arm, he realized she’d frozen through it. Nick tossed their wolf cobija over her before ambling into the bathroom, cracking a single eye open after flipping on the light and shuffling to the toilet. 

The pressure dissipated and he yawned, head leaned back and sharp teeth flashing. Eyes wandered over everything familiar, waiting, finishing, when they fell on a white stick perched at the corner of the counter. He stared down at it absently, noting the bold double lines. 

_Huh. Positive_. 

At last he finished, hitting his knee on the cabinets below the sink and cursing before he washed his hands, yawning again. 

_Positive._

That’s when it slapped him across the face. 

He grabbed the test with soaking hands, bringing it closer to observe the bold double lines under the clear surface of the test. He spun, both eyes peeled open and any trace of fatigue shot away as he rushed out of the bathroom, yelling, “Cal!? Callie!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A drawing of their Pucca girl can be found on Instagram under the same username! Friday's will be chapter days, so stay tuned for part 2 of Chapter 1 🖤  
> p.s., a very special thanks to my husband who's Spanish blows mine away, and helped me remember such a basic curse before he laughed at me. Thanks, hubby 🖤


	3. At Last

A long yawn interrupted his reading of the paper in hand, and he tightened his broad body, pressing as deep as possible into the passenger seat. The briefing was bland as usual, same thing every week. A compiled stack of papers that amounted to possible sightings of Bright’s or wand activity, their locations, dates, descriptions he had to skim over in case anything seemed familiar. It was mind numbing, but if it kept him out of the hole for the incident years ago with Tikka, he’d bear it. His mind might collapse in on itself in the process though. 

Activity seemed to have kicked up around the outskirts of LA, but there was nothing to be alarmed about if the paperwork was any say indication of it. If there had been, Nick would’ve been sat in a cramped office with MTF, answering the same questions he’d memorized perfectly in order from all the years of interrogations. 

He chuffed silently, rolling a peppercorn from his pasta he’d taken for lunch between his canines. 

The last few pages were always dedicated to Tikka and the grave importance of her being apprehended, but still, nothing sparked his interest or alerted him, not even the paragraph where there was a supposed sighting in San Diego. He just couldn’t believe she’d wander back to LA after what happened. 

Nick folded the papers and stuffed them in the glove compartment. Everything there he’d heard that morning, anyways. 

Instead he scrolled through his phone as he took hearty bites of the pasta, mindlessly looking through Facebook videos and news articles- same shit, different day. Nick rarely liked anything on Instagram; he’d only gotten it so Callie could tag him in the long stream of photos she posted, detailing their everyday life and sometimes the more private aspects. Cautious he was about staring down at his lover in some of the revealing photos while working. Popping a boner was dangerous on the job. 

He opened another app, observing where they were that day and grinned before flashing over to message Callie. 

**Its the size of an apple today**

The drivers side door yanked open and another officer climbed in, slamming the door behind himself. 

“Chill out,” Nick mumbled, taking another bite but leaving the fork between his teeth, reading her reply. 

**Really cause i feel like i have an eggplant in me**

He smirked. **Stick my eggplant in you if you want**

“They act like I’m fucking contagious or something,” the younger Orc spat, and Nick snorted. 

“Get used to it,”

“No respect- not even for a cop,” he went on, unwrapping his sandwich hotly. 

“You’re telling me stuff I already know, kid,” Nick exhaled, stifling a chuckle when Callie responded, **Only if you bring me home more cheeeese**

“When did they stop harassing you?” the rookie asked, looking at Nick with worried brows. Nick’s head leaned back against the headrest, running his tongue over his filed tusks as he thought it over, but in the end, grinning again. 

“When you joined,” Nick smiled sarcastically and his young partner looked down to his sandwich dispondantly. “It gets easier when they get used to you,”

“Or when another Orc joins and carries the burden…” Sergey mumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich. Nick nodded indifferently. Sergey was quite young compared to when Nick finally made it into the Academy and onto being an officer, but he had a good heart despite being a little skittish and hot headed at times. His tusks had been filed like Nick’s, but he’d been blooded young- something about resuscitating a toddler at a pool, _ah_ , he couldn’t remember. Not like he could gloat about his own blooding. Either way, it meant most Orcs didn’t chastise him like they had Nick, which in turn made their jobs a little easier. 

“It’s bullshit,” Sergey chuffed. 

" _You_ wanted to join- that’s on you. What’s bullshit is Heig making us work the afternoon before the banquet,” Nick reasoned, returning to the message. 

**Im getting a costco bag this time. Does pucca need food?**

“You’re going?” Sergey asked, a cheekful of sub. 

“We have to go,”

“Oh fuck- Dura is going to kill me. I told her we didn’t have to go,” he griped, holding his head. 

“Anytime the LAPD is doing something expect to have to go,” 

His phone vibrated in his hand again. **Nah she’s good. Im off at 4 today**

Nick finished the last bite of his food before replying, **Okay. Dont forget to take your vitamin**

“You’re taking Callie?” Sergey asked, looking over to Nick yawning again and sliding down his seat as he stretched as best he could in the cramped space. 

“Wouldn’t go without her,” he told him, his phone face down on his chest. 

“Gonna tell people tonight?” the young Orc piped, his ears twitching when Nick side eyed him. _Nosey little asshole_. 

“Not like we could hide it. If anyone says anything to her I might throw a table,” Nick grumbled. 

“Even if, it’s none of their business. People delve into others shit for their daily dose of drama and then don’t want to assume any of the responsibility afterwards. Like humans abandoning babies,” Sergey rattled, his accent coming forth a little. 

Nick had turned his shoulders in his seat, looking at him a little aghast. “Such depth- is that why Dura puts up with you?” 

“It is because I’m the darkest hue of grey she’s ever seen.” he flaunted, earning a scoff from Nick. It was true- Sergey was a very muted color compared to most Orcs that were painted in swirls of green or blue tones. 

Nick’s shoulder radio sounded, and the two listened for the call to the accident. Sergey took a couple more heaving bites of his sandwich as Nick responded, instructing him to turn on the lights before siren until they’d pulled onto the street. 

↠

His day closed around 2, uneventful, and he liked it that way. Coming home pissed off wasn’t necessarily a bad thing when Callie willingly offered herself up as a sexual ragdoll for him to blow off steam, but being in more delicate condition meant having to withhold some of the roughness she adored. He was left with time to head to Costco before he had to pick her up, which by this time on a Friday, would be packed, and her method of dealing with rude shoppers who bumped into her uncaringly was… hostile, to say the least.

Nick grinned to himself as he palmed the wheel to park the truck. _Already so protective_. 

He wandered aimlessly, up and down the aisles, grabbing this and that, knowing he was forgetting something that he’d only remember once home; it happened every time. He grabbed the massive bag of shredded cheese and moved on with his cart, snatching samples as he passed the small stands. As always, he stopped to look over the books, mostly for himself, but kept an eye out for a new Stephen King novel- yep, there it was. Now Callie would have something to do during her appointments that seemed to drag on and on for hours. But another one caught his eye and he picked it up. 

_Multi-race Baby Names: 1000+ Choices for Your Little Surprise_

Nick scoffed. “Surprise?” he said under his breath. _1000, huh?_ That was also placed in the cart and purchased.

The drive to the bank was decent. In that neighborhood, people drove angrily, like they were the only ones that mattered on the road. It resulted in him flashing his badge at a particular asshole who kept trying to shove his way in front of Nick when the lanes merged. Nick couldn’t help but laugh a little sarcastically. Years in, and he was over being prim and proper just so people wouldn’t mind the Orc cop. 

He parked the truck in front, pulling out his phone to tell her he was waiting. 

He thumbed through the book he got for himself, reading the preface as he snacked from a monstrous box of crackers he’d bought; Sci-fi was becoming a new favorite of his. 

A soft, carrying whistle caught his attention and he looked up, smiling at the pretty face that tuned the two-note whistle as she walked to the truck, her growing belly poking out from between the smartly pressed jacket she wore over her dress suit. 

“Hey baby,” Nick said as she struggled to hoist herself up into the truck, tossing her bag to the floorboard along with her folder packed with paperwork, grunting when she curled over her stomach. “How was work?”

“I’m on the verge of firing Isabel. I’ve never met someone so fucking lazy and sorry for themselves, _ugh_! And she always attacks people for being more committed than her? She tried to get on me for _being_ branch manager and I was this close-” she basically mashed her thumb and index together, “ _This_ close to knocking her on her ass,” she leaned over to give him a quick kiss. 

“Don't forget you’re preg-”

“I didn’t work my ass off to feel bad that she can’t manage to make it in 3 of the 6 days she works-” she angrily tied her hair up. “Fuck that,” she yanked the seatbelt over her stomach, arching her back to better settle in the seat and slipping an ankle under her thigh once kicking off a heel. “And I need maternity clothes. I can’t keep squeezing into these shirts,” she huffed, letting her head bounce back against the seat with a hard exhale. “Fuck I’m winded,”

“Little thing getting too big already?” he asked affectionately, backing out of the spot. 

“Your dad was right when he said you’d make big babies,” she smirked. 

“We could skip the banquet and go shopping,” he tried, flashing a devious grin but only receiving an unamused glare in return. 

“I didn’t spend all that money on a dress to let it go to waste. You can’t weasel your way out of the suit,”

“I hate suits,” he grumbled, his hand instinctively moving to her stomach when he pulled up to a busy road he had to turn onto. 

“Mhm. Did you get the cheese?”

“And a few other things,” he motioned to the box in the backseat. Her legs bounced in excitement at the newest Stephen King, but she passed it to look over the baby names, also pulling a cheese stick from her purse as she flipped through the pages. 

“We should also make a list of names we won’t use,” she commented dryly, and he snorted.

“Like?”

“Bog- Bogdub?” she pronounced slowly, her nose scrunching. “I like Lorn though. Shat? Shat is a name?” she exclaimed. 

“Really old name,” he palmed the wheel as they pulled into a drive-thru across the street, lowering his window. “What’ya want?”

“You’re getting takeout?” her brows drew in together. 

“There’s only gonna be snacks and drinks at the thing,” 

“Oh, okay, eehhmm… 2 five-layered burritos with guac and crema,” she said through the corner of her mouth. 

“Better not have fish in it,” 

“It’s a Taco Bell, mensito.” she ribbed, his flat look making her giggle. 

They drove home with pleasant conversation drifting between them, his hand remaining on her stomach and his thumb rubbing absentmindedly over the baby that had caused an unexpected bout of nausea that morning, but had subsided in time for her to order her favorite item on the menu. 

Once home, he carried their bags and Costco purchases in one hand and kept his other arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly against his side to plant firm kisses on her temple, Callie pushing half-heartedly against his chest as she laughed against his affections. Pucca was already barking inside, jumping at eye level excitedly once the door had opened. 

Both of them took the time to smother her with kisses and silly questions about how her day was, the chubby pitbull wiggling side to side to keep up with the lightning speed of her wagging tail as her parents showered her with love.

Callie only bothered enough to take off her jacket and unbutton her shirt once sat at the table, far too eager to dig into her meal with Pucca’s chin rested on her thigh; she gave her little scraps, baby talking endlessly to the pretty eyed pitbull. Nick had started sitting at an angle in his seat beside her, making room on his lap for her restless feet so she didn’t fidget uncomfortably. 

“What time is the thing tonight?”

“Six,” Nick barely got out. She had a brilliant habit of asking him something whenever his mouth was full. 

She twisted her wrist to look at her watch. “Doesn’t leave much time to get ready,”

“Don’t rush. As long as we show up it’s fine,”

The final bite of her food washed down her throat with her drink, standing to ball her wrappers and toss them. 

“I’m gonna shower real quick.” she called from the kitchen, speed walking as she pulled her dress shirt down her arms, Pucca at her heels.

“Mhm,” unconsciously he hummed around his food, pushing some around with his fork when his eyes flickered up in realization. He sat straight with his neck extended, listening intently from the table; the shower curtain rings scraping across the pole, the water springing from the shower head. Nick started to cover his food and gather his trash, his eyes remaining trained on the entrance to the hallway. 

By the time it was all shoved crudely into the takeout bag, he was on his feet, and had heard the shower curtain open and close again. 

There was no reason to, but he still tiptoed down the hall as he pulled his shirt forward from his shoulder blades, pushing his face into the cracked door so it opened a little more. 

Thinking of how the water streamed down her naked body only provoked his eagerness, which in turn made him a little clumsy in his impatience to push his pants and briefs down and yank his socks off. 

“Nick?” she called loudly from the other side of the curtain, and he took the opportunity to poke his head in. 

“Yeah?”

She spun with a short screech, her hands hidden in her bubbly, lathered hair. 

“What’re you doing?” she started to grin, scratching her scalp as he stepped into the narrow shower, now even more of a tighter fit with a wide shouldered Orc before her. 

“I needed a shower too,” he said against her neck, partially squatting to wrap his arms around her middle, her distended stomach right below his pecs. He tried to hide his flinch when the searing water ran over his scalp, and she laughed at the way he tensed and grunted.

He flinched from under it, wincing as he spit some from his mouth. “S’like fire,”

“Only way to get clean,” she smirked, bending back under the water to shake her fingers between her soaked tresses, the raining shampoo following the curves and dips of her body. 

Nick felt his eyes heavy, as well as his breathing when he watched how her honey-golden skin shone from the miniscule light coming in. He was already salivating, inhaling deeply to find her scent, but there was too much steam and the smell of her fragrant shampoo around them. 

The soft brush of his touch across her nipples shot goosebumps down her sides, her eyes opening to find his burning ambers as he stepped into her space. His thumbs rolling and swiping stirred a soft sigh from Callie and her arms fell around his shoulders loosely when he leaned down to adorn her wet skin with kisses and soft bites, his hands catching the curve of her back when she craned backwards. 

His tongue was hotter than the water running over them, his nipping, sharp teeth a pleasant shock every now and then, either around a nipple or biting along the soft sides of her breasts. 

“No point in a shower if you’re gonna be dirty,” she murmured when he fisted his hand in her hair after standing straight, a hard kiss to follow. 

“Dirty is better than filthy,” he growled, and she smiled when he gripped her bare ass. 

“Says you,” 

He eyed her, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into her again, but also fuck her until she was blind. Her soft touch grazing up his hardened dick made him grunt, his eyes fluttering when she pumped him. 

“Mhm,” she kissed into his jaw, then down his neck, finally resting back on her heels when she reached his chest. “You like it dirty, don’t you?” she questioned seductively, un-needing of an answer; she knew. 

Nick shuddered in anticipation as she kissed down his chiseled belly, her hands dragging down his ass and thighs. A soft kiss at his inner hip started a hard tremble in his legs; that was his pressure point she only sometimes took advantage of. Finally she gazed up at him as she took his hard member into her hands, finding his desperate eyes. 

It always left his mind a pile of useless muscle when she did this. He’d before questioned inwardly how she’d become so good at the way she took his dick to the back of her throat and rotated her hands so perfectly along his shaft at the same time, but by the time the question arose in him this time, he was already bracing himself against the shower wall, his hips rocking into her hot mouth. 

And she encouraged it. She’d pull on his hips when he slowed, her attentive touch winding up his clenching stomach, her eyes keeping his when she’d let him fall from her hot mouth onto her chin- fuck, that thin string of spit made him whimper- before letting him rock back in, his direction the only guide back between her lips. 

Nick pressed his face into his arm, exhaling harshly when she squeezed along his shaft. Forget the hot water running down his back, or the drops waterfalling over his shoulders- all he could focus on was the soft scrape of her teeth and the way her tongue shaped to his girth perfectly.

“Fuck, Callie,” he ground out, fighting with every shread of restraint left not to pin her arms above her head and fuck her face. 

“Feeling filthy?” she teased, her tongue gliding up along the underside of his dick. 

Nick shivered. 

She gasped as he lifted her from under her arms in a flash, holding her face to kiss her harshly. 

His rigid cock was rested against her stomach, and already her hands were around him again, stroking up to his head where her thumb could swipe over the tip and move the thick beads of precum around. 

“Stop,” he breathed heavily, again squatting before her, but to pull up from under her ass until her legs wrapped around him.

Her stomach hadn’t grown big enough to stop this… yet. 

A wavering moan fell from him when he merely brushed against her cunt while carefully hooking his arms under her knees, his palms flat against the tile wall. 

She was open, and ready, and he didn’t need to smell her to know she’d been prepared for this since he first stepped into the shower. He could see it in the feral glint of her caramel pools, and her mouth hung open, her full lips begging to be kissed. 

But Nick liked to take his time. 

Despite her pleas, he pushed in agonizingly slow, always groaning loudly for that first slide in. 

She kissed him with abandon, her blunt nails pinching every so often as he loved her from tip to base, the deep pumps leaving her limp in his hold. 

“Apurate,” she sighed, her tongue lapping against his teasingly. She tasted like the water dripping down their faces, her lips still soft as he stole a few slow pecks.

“Shut your big mouth,” he played, hissing when she bit down on his bottom lip. He snapped his hips forward once, a gasp falling from her wide smile. 

“You like my big mouth,” 

“Yeah when it’s around my big dick,”

“Oo, getting cocky?” she asked, clinging to him when he fired into her. Callie’s head fell back, her body thrusting up and down against the wall as he fucked her, gazing down at her bouncing breasts. She cursed, and cried, her toes curling on either side of him. 

“Keep saying cock,” he groused, kissing her turned jaw. 

“Then fuck me harder with that big cock,” she simpered, watching one of his hairless brows rise before her repositioned his feet and fucked her without restraint. 

Immediately she locked up, under an assault she couldn’t flee from, but squirming from this would be foolish when he so perfectly caressed her hidden treasure, turning her words to clustered cries and sending her eyes rolling back into her skull. 

“ _Yes-_ ” she choked, heavy hands holding his face. “Fuck me, fuck me just like _that_ ,” she near laughed, smiling widely as the bliss started its slow build-up. 

He kissed her sparingly, unwanting of those delicious moans to be smothered, stifling his own so he could hear clearly the way she begged in his name. It sounded like a holy prayer, the way it rolled off her tongue; it made him feel like he was the one to be worthy of worship. 

“Baby-,” he panted, dropping his face to her neck when his groin area started to tighten. “Baby I’m gonna cum,”

“Not yet,” she begged, “Just a lil’ longer,”

But he continued, entranced completely. 

“Nick,” she breathed, and he had enough power in him to stop from thrusting back in, his head hidden inside her smooth pussy. No way he could stay like this for long. He was teetering on the brink, wanting so badly to throw himself over that brilliant edge.

“Rub your clit,” he ordered, and watched, and moaned, fighting the burning urge to fuck her again as she rubbed her swollen clit rapidly. 

“Do you like it?” she asked, but his head didn’t lift as he nodded, daring a slow, single pump as she carried on. His arms shook from the power of his hands pressing into the shower wall. 

“Do you still wanna fuck me?” she whispered, grinning at the desperation in his face. 

“Don’t do that,” he whined, daring another slow pump, pressing tight enough into her that she moved up the wall. 

“Fuck me then,” she moaned, her breath fluttering. Nick recognized that. “Fuck me,”

He obeyed, a loud, shuddering moan coming forth as he shifted back into that steady rhythm again. 

“You’re gonna make me cum baby,” her voice was peaking, her head hanging forward as the once flawless flicks of her wrist became erratic, and then her hand pulled back altogether. ”Oh there, oh there-”

There was a long moment of her eyes pinched shut and jaw hung before she let go of her long symphony of moans, her hips circling as much as possible as the euphoria stretched across her shaking form. 

It only took a few pulses of her pussy around him to finally have him falling into that pool of ecstasy, pressed balls deep into her quivering cunt as he drained in her, thick shots of semen pulsing from his dick again and again. 

Where once the water splashing down them had been forgotten, it was now preventing her from holding around his shoulders comfortably, and he at last looked at her, bumping her nose a few times as they both struggled to even their breathing. 

“We need to bathe in holy water after that,” she cracked, and he snorted, placing a few good kisses on her cheek before carefully letting her down. It was almost comical the way he popped from her, grunting quietly when his still shrinking dick felt vulnerable without her warmth around him.

“Now I’m too lazy to finish,” she sighed, a hand over her tightened stomach and the other reaching to pump conditioner in her palm, uncaring of the aftermath leaking down the insides of her thighs. 

“So I guess you washing my back is out of the question?” he pouted.

“Only if you wash me first,” she played, her long hair held up in a wet pile atop her head.

Callie hadn’t actually expected him to, but when he squeezed a tiny mountains worth of her silky body wash into his palm, she turned, already turning to jelly in his hold as he massaged it all along her body. Across her menacing crow tattoo that adorned her shoulder blades, and down her toned arms to her hands that he cupped in his, wrapping them around herself when he circled her. 

She turned her cheek into his kiss, relishing in his sturdy chest against her back and his protective hands holding either side of her stomach. 

Now he could smell _her_ \- even above the body wash. There was Callie’s vanilla, and the savory essence of pregnancy that reminded him of her blood he’d savored when he first bit her, and now there was him, seasoning her like the final pinch to a perfect dish. 

She was all of them- a tailor made perfume just for him. 

One hand lingered over her stomach where the other moved around her, holding close what he owed his happiness to. But alarming pride also coarsed through him. Seeing her grow with pregnancy made him animalistic, almost; there was nothing like seeing evidence of what he’d done with his mate literally show before him like that.

“I did this,” he declared softly, fingertips pressing mindfully into her round belly. “I put a baby in you,”

She reached back to hold his opposite cheek, planting a few lingering kisses on the one closest to her. “That’s your baby.”

 

Pulling on the tux and making sure everything was tucked and buttoned neatly had been easy up to this point. The YouTube tutorial was doing little to help his fat fingers loop and pull the tie into anything that could actually pass as a tie, and he slipped it from around his neck angrily, the fitted fabric of the black tux around his shoulders already bothering him. 

“Fuckin’... piece of shit,” he hissed under his breath. “Fuck this,” 

He stalked towards their room, pushing Pucca down when she jumped at his thigh. “If you get fur on this your mom will kill me.” She still wagged her butt, whining after him as he walked down the hall. That’s when it hit him; _fucking lint rollers_! He stomped the rest of the way to the room, pissed at his own inability to remember his entire purchase list when going to the store.

“Can you help me with… this,” he trailed off, rendered speechless. 

The carnelian red material of the sheer gown flowed down her body softly like the calm running of water, changing shape only over her stomach that bulged beneath it. It pooled elegantly around her feet, and the thin straps of the shoulder and low cut back showed off the art adorning her body, especially the dark, menacing crow across her shoulder blades. She looked at him curiously as he detailed her long hair pulled into a loose twist, some locks falling around her face and neck, just a glimpse of the silver earrings dangling and the small stars beside her brow ridge.

“How do I look?” she asked, tentatively, her thigh and knee poking from the high cut of the dress. 

His mouth opened to utter everything; gorgeous, beautiful, perfect, _astounding_ \- but he was left with nothing but his hand on his chest, unable to take his eyes from his ecstatically beautiful lover. 

“Lat're ij goddeukuk,” he uttered, finally, but not knowing what he’d said, she looked back to the mirror, her hands running down the curve of her belly and cupping underneath. 

“Think people can tell?” she asked. 

He grinned, proudly. “People can tell,” 

_That’s **my** baby._

She nodded, turning to grab his tie and loop it around his collar. “I’m nervous,” she said softly, her thin fingers manipulating the material expertly. 

“You both look beautiful,” he said, and she grinned, her eyes still on the tie. “So good that I can’t imagine how you’d look in a wedding dress,”

“I’m not-” 

“Getting married pregnant, I know,” he griped, a little sourly. 

Her hands moved to hold his face, stood on her toes and craning her neck for a kiss until he leaned the rest of the way down. He exhaled, holding her sides as her thumbs smoothed his chiseled cheekbones, her kisses soothing away what little disappointment sat on his heart. 

“You will one day?” he asked huskily, enveloping her mouth for a deeper caress as his fingers curled into the sheer material of the dress.

“Calista Jakoby is too good of a name to pass up. And that police pension.” she grinned, yelping when he smacked her ass.

With the tie braided artfully and her heels slipped on as she steadied herself against him, she grabbed her clutch and phone as he grabbed the keys, planting a few kisses on Pucca’s head before closing the door behind them. 

She half jogged to the truck when the cold of the night pricked her exposed skin, and this time he helped her into her seat, making sure her dress didn’t catch in the door. The heater was cranked once inside, noting the goosebumps already rising on her arms and again they rode with his hand over her stomach. 

“Rosie is salty she wasn’t invited,” Callie grinned, flashing the long rants worth of messages from her sister. 

“Paramedics aren’t as cool,”

“Oh you’re gonna get on her about that again?”

“If she keeps mocking about seeing me at that doughnut shop, which I was at for _you_ ,”

“To be fair that was too good of a joke to pass up on.” Callie simpered, laughing when he squeezed her knee. 

Valet took his truck when they arrived, surprisingly complimentary of the LAPD, and Callie kept her clutch against her stomach when Nick offered his elbow, walking up the dazzling stairs carpeted in rich red and stunning gold linings. He felt a little out of place being at such an upper class location but Callie fit right in, like she should’ve always attended sparkling events such as this. 

They passed a few familiar officers chatting in the marble lobby, and she almost forgot to keep her chin lifted confidently as they took double takes at her obvious condition. 

“That makes me feel like a walking attraction,” she intoned. 

“Don’t be so full of yourself, they were obviously looking at me.” he corrected, evoking a giggle. 

They boarded the elevator, both looking around at the exquisite space that looked like it belonged in New York amongst the ultra rich, not LA.

She turned, finding one of the walls to be a mirror, and took her phone from her clutch.

“C’mere,” she called, and he stood behind her, posing against her back as she beamed in the photo. There were silly ones; of him holding her up as she craned back, pretending to bite her neck, and there were raunchier ones of her ass pressed into his hips he couldn’t help but laugh at. 

“That ones for Instagram.” she chimed, depositing her phone back in her clutch as they made it to the upper floor. 

The music boomed through the wide hall they walked through to enter the banquet room, the tables lining the walls littered with fellow officers and their wives or husbands, some with kids dressed elegantly. All had a look to dish to Callie, who was in the small handful of other woman wearing something besides the normal neutral colored gowns, but then they saw the stomach, and their conversations shifted. Nick hadn’t told anyone at work beside Sergey and Ward, so this was the night the news was breaking: the Orc finally knocked her up. 

They stood at the entrance, overlooking all the tables and people, the dance floor a little sparse besides Nick’s captain dancing poorly with his band of merry men. She scoffed. 

“I’m already over this.” Nick stated, fixing the cuff around his wrist. 

“Jakoby!”

They turned to find Sergey walking up to them, a wide smile and also in a fitted tux with his girlfriend close behind. 

“Hey kid,” Nick nodded in his direction, greeting Dura quickly. 

“Miss Callie, my favorite human,” Sergey said in a silly manner, a little smitten as he hugged her tightly. 

“Hi sweetie- hi Dura!” Callie said excitedly, hugging the lean female Orc behind him that was cloaked in a strapless, deep green gown with diamond embroidery beneath the bust and equally dazzling hoops hanging off her pointed ears. 

“Oh my god you’re finally showing!” Dura whined lovingly, holding Callie’s sides after she hugged her. “Any kicks yet? This lug won’t tell me anything,” she jabbed her thumb in Sergey’s direction, but he only rolled his ochre eyes. 

He wouldn’t let me say a word to anyone,” Sergey directed the blame to Nick. 

“Yeah cause that was so difficult for you,” Nick grumbled.

“Y’all Fogteeth need to stop congregating in public like this,” Ward piped in, walking up from behind Nick before giving him the handshake. Their interaction wasn’t as constant since Nick had finished his first year, but they made it a point to still meet up for lunches or when Ward needed help in his yard. “How ya doin’ mamas?” he moved to hug Callie, placing a kiss on her cheek. 

“Ahh, depends on the day,” she grinned, leaning sideways. “Hi Sherri,” she flashed a dazzling smile, effectively warding off Daryl’s salty wife who didn’t look half bad in her royal blue dress. Hair was a little tacky along with those ridiculous nails, though. 

“My goodness, look at this,” Daryl held her sides, patting a couple times. “How long ‘til he gets to meet his uncle?”

“Got about 5 more months,” Nick said, loosening his tie. Callie pulled his hands down, mumbling to stop messing with his suit. 

“You know I still don’t understand how you were able to keep quiet about this but I can’t get him to shut up about fuckin’ veggies- just in my ear, all day when we have routes together,” Ward teased, the girls laughing as Nick chuffed loudly. 

“You never shut up about your dead ass lawn…” Nick mumbled.

“Cause that shit you suggested still ain’t _doing_ shit-”

“I’ve told you a hundred times-”

“I want a snack,” Callie butted in before they started bickering endlessly. 

“Me too- come, tell me all about the little faushnu.” Dura said affectionately, the girls arms linking as they walked back to the tables loaded with sweets. 

“Congrats, brother,” Ward clapped Nick on the back, making the Orc somewhat bashful. 

“Yeah yeah, thanks.”

“Hey, did you get that briefing from Heig this morning?” He questioned, bumping Nick’s arm. 

“For everyone?” Sergey butted in, listening curiously. 

“Yeah- is there really another wand floating around?” Nick asked lowly, and Sergey’s eyes widened. 

“A wand!?” Sergey exclaimed, and Nick hit his chest with the back of his hand. The young Orcs face tightened, his filed tusks showing momentarily from behind his angry pout.

“Do we really have to get involved in that shit again?”

“I don’t see why we would. What happened was one thing and this is another. I don’t want none of that shit in my business.” Ward explained, head shaking as he searched for Sherri.

“What shit?” Sergey tried again, but the other officers dropped it, leaving the rookie fuming.

 

A few hours in, and most of the men had removed their jackets and rolled up their sleeves, leaving Nick to follow suit promptly. Any longer and he would’ve lost his mind under the restricting fabric. Heig was alongside a few other deputies, all lined up across the stage as the mayor spoke highly of the LAPD, his shadowed eyes only aiding to a sense of lies alongside his smile. 

Most watched, but a lot mingled amongst themselves still, uncaring of the announcements that could’ve been done at the station instead of this whole thing. 

“Theadora,” Callie tried, scooping ice cream into her tiny spoon. Nick scrunched his nose. 

“Elizabeth?” but now Callie shook her head. 

“Why do we only ever suggest girl names?”

“I feel like I’d only make girls,” Nick shrugged, sipping his rum and coke. “Most of the firstborn in my family are girls,”

“Mm, maybe. What about Guillermo?”

“Wasn’t that Rosie’s…?”

She shook her head. “Benecio,”

“Ahh. Anyways- something I can pronounce please,” 

That unnecessary part of the banquet ended in low applause, but Heig looked like he’d been handed the key to the city, standing under the hot lights and sweating like a hooker in church. 

“He didn’t even get a medal or anything,” Nick commented dryly, and Callie looked at him with a knowing smile. 

“Like you got? For being the biggest and baddest?” she asked, and he nodded, confidently. 

“Damn right. That’s why that shits framed.” he wiggled his brows, smirking when she chuckled with the spoon between her teeth. 

The men dispersed from the stage, the dance floor filling again with tipsy couples only embarrassing themselves as they flaunted their supposed dance skills. 

Nick’s arm hung off the back of her chair, his fingers tracing designs on her arm when she leaned against him, whispering little nothings and the occasional joke as the minutes ticked by in their own little world. Ward ambled around, butting in and then wandering off again and again until Sherri kept him close, and the same went for Sergey. He was already tipsy by the time he flopped back into a chair beside Nick, asking where Dura was even though she’d been following him around for the past hour. 

The seats started to fill up when the music slowed, sending most of the more lively attendees away to the drinks.

“Are you gonna ask me to dance?” Callie asked softly, and he looked down at her, his brow cocking. 

“You’re gonna make me go out there?” he asked, and she smiled, nodding. He considered arguing, but he also knew how much she’d missed dancing since instructed by doctors to take it easy. With a defeated sigh, he rose, holding out his hand to help her stand and smooth down her dress. Nick lead her through the tables, thankful that a slower song had started lulling through the speakers; he didn’t have any skills to get down like she was capable of. But after years of watching Callie during recitals and performances, and gazing at her as she spun slow circles in their kitchen only to be dragged over, he knew enough. 

With their hands held up, he spun her slowly, bringing forth a dazzling smile as he drew her in. The way he so tenderly ran his hands down her arms to her lower back made her sigh, her own inching up his chest as they fell into a steady, smooth swaying. His forehead bumped hers, catching her molten eyes that sparkled under the lights around them. 

“You’ve been practicing?” She asked softly, her thumbs stroking his neck when her hands slid higher over his shoulders. 

“Shuffling in a circle isn’t that hard,” 

“Say that to my broken toes,” she teased, and he growled at her, only stirring another smile. “I’m joking. You’ve only broken one of my toes,”

“Keep it up and I’ll pass you to someone else,” he smirked, arm moving around her shoulder when she slipped hers around his waist. Callie beamed when he started to purr with their cheeks touching, the soft strokes against her shoulder blade from his wide, rough palm sending shivers down her sides.

“You’d never,”

“Don’t tempt me,”

Their shape was a little funny- her stomach prevented her from pressing flat against him like normal, but it still made him grin, just barely, to himself. 

It was like they were dancing with their baby, softly lulling it like Callie talked about doing when she could hold it in her arms. 

_“ **If** I can hold it in my arms,” she pouted, wiping the gel from her stomach after an ultrasound. _

_Nick frowned. “Why would you say that?”_

_“Cause this is the fourth time I’ve been pregnant, and I haven’t been able to name or hold any of them.” she told him, silencing any further rebuttle. No matter how grim that was, her words were valid._

His arms drew tighter, giving her a light squeeze. Every pregnancy, she was more disconnected than the last, afraid to become attached. He was already head over heels excited, but he had been the other times, too. It saddened him to see her pass by onesies and various other baby items when they’d go to stores, telling him, ‘we can wait a little longer’. 

_Let’s see if this one makes it_ , is what she really meant. 

“Do you know how many times I had to stop myself from grabbing a glass of champagne tonight?” she said into his chest, shaking him from darker thoughts. 

“If my kid comes out with an ear on their forehead I’m gonna punch you in the throat,” he grumbled, and grunted when she poked his sides. 

“I want a day to get drunk after I deliver,” she looked up at him. “I miss our nights at Loco’s,”

“We still have fun without getting drunk,” he mouthed against her jaw, keeping his arms secured around her when she giggled and wiggled. 

“We’ll have mommy and daddy days,” she decided, tucking her head back under his chin. He blinked a few times. 

“That’s the first time I’ve heard something like that out loud,” he confessed softly, a little flushed. “Never thought of myself as a daddy over just being a parent,”

“You’re _my_ big Orc daddy,”

He scoffed stubbornly, squeezing her. “Shut up,”

The slow song only lasted that one turn. People started calling for upbeat music again and Callie pulled Nick away from the dance floor, mentioning that she didn’t want to risk getting kicked in the gut when one of the white boys inevitably tried to breakdance. 

So they all huddled to a table; Ward with Sherri- although she could care less at a table full of Orcs- and Sergey with Dura, all of them teasing and talking and booming with laughter when the drinks came and went quickly, the men throwing them back and some more when Sergey pulled a fat flask from his tux. Nick became quite the chatty cat when he got to drinking, pointing this way and that, speaking of things he normally kept bottled after shitty days or telling Ward in particular how much he liked his mustache. 

When the men started slurring and Sergey nearly tripped over an entire chair after saying he didn’t see the entire said chair, the woman gathered their stumbling men, sneaking out of the banquet despite Heig moving to the stage again to make more announcements, drunkenly that was. 

At valet, Callie directed Nick to the passenger side, pushing his big body up until she could close the door quickly. Off with her heels and she could drive, again blasting the heater when the harsh chill of the night stung her skin. 

 

“Nick c’mon,” Callie laughed, a hand against his chest to steady his towering form that one arm around his back couldn’t do alone. 

“You could’a left me in the truck,” he mumbled, walking, but when he swayed here and there, it was like trying to catch a falling tree. 

A string of giggles tumbled from her lips as he mouthed the back of her neck, kissing across her shoulder with his hands against the door and his body shielding hers as she struggled to find the house key, her shoulder drawing into her cheeks every time he tried to get one of her ears. 

They both lurched forwards when she managed the door finally, but Nick still had good enough reactions even drunk and caught himself, then her before they both went crashing to the floor. A moment of shock, and then he was laughing, air forcing out between his pursed lips. 

“Go, go to bed,” she instructed, letting him wobble his way towards the back of the house, but stopping to give Pucca hugs and kisses. “Go lay down before you fall,” she instructed as she tossed her heels aside. _Ugh, much better_. She even wiggled her toes into the carpet a bit.

“You go lay down before you-” he mimicked, standing suddenly, walking with determination into the kitchen, throwing open the pantry door with more force than meant. “Found them,” he mumbled with heavy eyes, cradling his bag of Takis as he bumped into the kitchen entrance before heading back on his original path. 

She had lock up duty that night- closing windows, double checking doors, arming the alarm system that Nick had had installed a couple years back. 

Upon entering the room, she found him with the open bag still in his inner arm, struggling to kick off his shoes and not fall flat on his face with Pucca walking circles around him.

“Get,” she waved Pucca away, then pushed against his chest to get him onto the bed, losing a few Takis along the way. “Stay there,”

“Are you trying to get me in bed?” he asked coyly, lifting his feet as she pulled his shoes off. 

“I already have you there- Nick!” she smiled, exclaiming as he kept stealing kisses along her collarbone when she tried to unbutton his shirt. 

“You’re _so_ pretty,”

“Hush and stay still,” she ordered, somehow getting his dress shirt off before smacking his thigh to make him turn a little. 

“You’re _my_ girlfriend,” he stated matter of factly while pointing to himself with eyes clouded by booze, chewing loudly on the chips. 

“That so?” she went along, pulling his slacks down his legs and stepping back as he violently kicked them off across the room. 

“Yeah, cause _I_ ,” he pointed to his own chest again, “Put _that_ in you,” his finger landed back at her belly. 

“Proud of yourself, ain’t ya?” she smiled, pulling her earrings off. 

He nodded, a smug smile plastered across his face that only made her eyes roll in amusement. But his amusement puddles when he watched her start to carefully hang his suit up, pressing down small creases. 

“Just throw it in the laundry,” he mumbled, glaring hatefully at the handsome suit. 

Callie turned, the temper of her eyes dangerous. “Hell no. I picked _and_ paid for this suit- it’s gonna be treated like a member of this household,” 

Nick scoffed. “S’not that nice,”

She looked at him blandly. “Wanna pay me back the $300 for it then?”

“Pay you back with some lovin’, c’mere,” he made grabby hands at her, but his reach was smacked away, an exaggerated pout following.

The dress was pulled up from her feet as she padded to the bathroom, eager to take off the make-up she’d painstakingly put on. At least swirling the makeup remover around was enjoyable- she’d often drag the mascara around her eyes to resemble the joker, cackling quietly to herself before rinsing it off. A quick wash, some moisturizer and her eye cream she couldn’t live without later, and she was finally done, but stopped halfway down the hallway to turn back. 

_Should pee now before I get up and run into something_. 

Doing that with the dress was a damn chore. Coming back out again, she glanced at the sticky note on the spare room they still needed to clean out and prepare. The corners of her lips kicked up in a smirk. 

_N + C = baby_ , the sticky note said. Nick had first stuck the note to a onesie he’d bought the day she’d made it past her first trimester, and despite the teasing nature of the words across the onesie, she couldn’t part with the attached note. It had been on the door since, and realistically, she didn’t think she’d ever be ready to take it down; there had been times she considered framing it. Even after recalling that beaming, _cocky_ smile he gave when presenting the _‘Of course I’m cute, have you seen my dad?’_ onesie. 

Nick chewed noisily, still sprawled across the bed and offering a hand to pull the zipper of the dress down the soft curve of her spine. Callie swatted at his hand when he pinched her butt, his eyes a little hungrier for something besides Takis when a waft of her scent hit him after the dress fell into a red puddle around her feet and left her only in red lace panties that barely contained the ass she’d gained. 

If he thought fucking his scent into her was something that made his ego skyrocket, sticking a baby in her and carrying that child heightened it everyday, boosting his pride to an otherworldly level. On top of the bite that adorned her breast, this would solidify them as mates for life, more than marriage ever would. That being said, it still fascinated Nick that of everyone she could’ve chosen, she loved him, an Orc, and chose to breed with him regardless that they’d have a halfling. She wanted his child. 

Nick was lost in admiration before he could realize that she’d been watching him as she rubbed cocoa butter into her stomach, her brows curved in scrutiny. He looked like he was on the verge of crying… but he could just be tremendously sleepy after downing his weight in alcohol.

Her hair fell loose around her shoulders after pulling a loose tank top on, turning with hands upon her hips. “You look sad,”

“I’m in awe,” he elaborated artfully, his hand spinning and a chip between his lips.

“Awe?” her brows perked up, watching him struggle to sit up and reach for her.

“I need t’talk to ‘em,” he murmured, pulling her by the hips. 

“About?” She grinned, leaning back into her hands when he pushed her shirt up. 

“It’s private,” he mumbled, and she snorted. 

“Listen,” he said close to her distended stomach. “You are the greatest- and I mean greatest when I say it in the presence of a _literal_ goddess,” he paused to gaze up sleepily, but she looked away, pink dusting her cheeks. “You, tiny me, are the best thing I’ve ever done,” he proclaimed softer, his wide hand over her protectively. “You made me realize how badly I wanted to be a father,”

Sentiment stirred her heart, listening to Nick declare such love to their unborn child with his forehead rested against her stomach.

“I love you,” he murmured, a kiss lingering on her stomach before he pulled her shirt back down. “I love you,”

Soft strokes from her hands across his head turned his face up to her, and she grinned, holding his cheeks when he stood to kiss her; he tasted like vodka and fire.

“I told you this one would stick,” he said against her mouth. 

“Don’t get a big head now,”

“I’m just sayin’, third time's the charm,” he simpered, and she followed him into bed. 

Just as Callie had finished propping numerous pillows around herself and grabbing the Firestick, Pucca came bounding up the bed, walking all over Nick in attempts to lay between them.

“Braav-” Nick cursed, pushing her away, but she was still smiley and wiggly, rolling to lather Callie’s face in kisses. “We have to train her to stop that,”

“She just feels left out,” Callie baby talked, smooshing and swirling Pucca’s wide head between her hands as the panting dog moved closer. “My big baby,”

“Not gonna be th’baby anymore,”

“But she’s always gonna be my first! Aren’t you? Aren’t you preciosa? Mi hermosa bebe?” Callie gushed, Pucca’s head twisting back and forth and her floppy ears perked forward. 

Nick finally settled, Takis in one hand and phone in the other when he stopped to watch her smother the dog, kisses upon kisses to her furry head, wondering how enamoured she would be with their baby in her arms. 

“We can start buying more stuff now y’know,” he carefully suggested.

Callie shrugged, resting her jaw in hand when she perched on her side. The knuckles of his hand rubbed her stomach, peeping from beneath her shirt. “I suppose,”

“You know you’re allowed to enjoy your pregnancy,”

“It’s not that,” half her face scrunched. “I do- I really do. I even try to remind myself when I’m puking that I’d rather be dealing with that than… empty. But I feel like if I become 100% invested it’s all gonna be taken away again,” she explained with a reserved tone. 

“Not this time. You’re so far along now,”

“I’m still worried. I always worry.” she said with her eyes keeping his, a hidden fear showing through in her jittering foot. 

He didn’t know what to say. There would be no vanquishing the worry until she had it cradled in her arms and against her chest. Nick could offer little words of reassurance. He didn’t know what it was like being afraid of your own body that could betray you after giving life. 

“I like Leonardo,” he stated instead, and although her mouth opened to protest, a sense of appeasement filled her, flipping the name again and again in her mind. 

“That’s a strong contender,”

“Or Jonaq,”

“Started strong and ended lame.” Her lips flattened into a straight line, and he smacked her hip. 

Pucca’s head popped up from behind Callie, a soft growl rumbling, but her tail was wagging fiercely, her pretty eyes trained on Nick. 

“Oh what’re gonna do? Huh? You big useless thing?” Nick challenged, sitting up to press his nose to Pucca’s as she continued to growl.

* * *

_“Okay, let’s take a look here,” the ultrasound technician chimed, dragging the probe across her jellied stomach that was just starting to swell outwards. Nick had lost his mind the first time they noticed it. He spent at least 10 minutes taking pictures, even ones where he knelt beside her before the mirror with his cheek against it, smiling proudly._

_The screen displayed the fuzzy black and white mess of shapes and blurs, Callie’s head not having yet rested against the examination table as Nick leaned in closer from her other side._

_“Got the butt first this time,” the technician chuckled._

_When the small definition of a foot and leg came in suddenly, he tensed, the picture moving up past ribs to a clear profile, softening Callie’s tense expression._

_The little head bobbed back, along with small arms and legs that fidgeted in the misshapen oval that would be it’s home for the next 28 weeks._

_“It’s moving,” Callie grinned, Nick’s head tilting to watch it wiggle around. “I can’t feel anything,”_

_“Probably won’t till after about 15 weeks,” she told her kindly, her fingers flying over the keyboard of the machine as she measured and took screenshots._

You’re inside me, _Callie thought affectionately, her adoration for the black and white fuzz shaping her baby growing every passing second she saw the tiny arms curl close to its face, or a little leg kick outwards._

_“Do you wanna know the sex?”_

_Nick and Callie looked at one another, but he shook his head. “We’re okay with waiting. So far,”_

_“Do we get pictures?” Callie asked eagerly, wiping down her stomach once the exam had ended._

_“Better yet- here’s an entire album.” The technician smiled, handing over a long stream of printed photos displaying profiles, butts, and overall shapes._

_“I can’t tell who’s nose it has,” Callie squinted, holding the scan at arms length after pushing her glasses up._

_“It's still too squishy,” Nick chuckled._

_“Yeah. Should we get one of those 4D ones done?” she asked, and he pulled in his shoulders while parking in his parents' driveway._

_“I wanna wait ‘til it’s born to see it. I don’t want something in my head of what I was told it’d look like,” he explained, grabbing the scans so he could look them over again. “Look at those little arms,” he groaned lovingly._

_“I guess,” she said, looking them over again when handed back. “I think it has my nose,”_

_“Maybe it’ll have my elbows.”_

_She snorted, folding them diligently to place gently back in her purse as they exited the truck._

_Dinara was there to answer with warmer hugs for Callie now than Nick, her hands falling to her small stomach as she berated her with questions about her health; how she was feeling, was she tired, had she eaten yet._

_Oleg always had open arms ready, almost picking small Callie up off her feet in a hug and holding her face affectionately as he smiled down at her with warm, golden eyes. “You glow like my Dinara did when she was pregnant with Nick.” he’d say._

_Nick was bossed around by his mom as she ordered Callie to sit down and put her feet up, directing her son to pour his lover tea. He handed it off sourly, winking at Callie._

_His mother and Callie could sit and talk for hours, most of which was gossip from two completely different lifestyles, added in the normal day to day life and shit at work. Nick and Oleg watched TV, bickering over their rival teams before any steady chit chat could find it’s way in until the food finished cooking and they all moved to the table._

_She would deny it at first, but when Dinara slopped seconds and thirds onto Callie’s plate, she never pushed it away._

_“You give my grandbaby all the food they can eat.” she’d order earnestly, the spiced rice and veggies piled high on Callie’s plate and too good to resist._

_“Speaking of,” Nick said around a full cheek. “She hit 12 weeks a couple days ago,”_

_Dinara gasped, her fork falling into her roasted potatoes. “You did!?”_

_Nick retrieved the scans from her purse, but they were snatched from his hands by Oleg before he even sat at the table again, which were in turn snatched by Dinara who barely gave him any lean to look at them as she did, blubbering words of amazement._

_“Oh I’m so relieved- I’ve bought so many things I’ve wanted to give to you but didn’t want to anger you!” Dinara sobbed, the scans against her chest even with Oleg trying to pry them from her hands. “Oh, beautiful baby,”_

_“We can start crib shopping now,” Nick said, holding Callie’s thigh, but she only shrugged indifferently, still smiling as she watched Dinara._

_“Onesies first?”_

_The hesitation was still there, even though they’d made it over that mark. But he nodded, and smiled, leaning over to kiss her head before returning to answer the questions his parents laid on them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh oh oh here we go 🖤 don't she look the cutest with that bump! and Nick in a suit _Y U U U U M_
> 
> translations:  
> -"apurate": hurry up  
> -"lat're ij goddeukuk": you're a goddess  
> -"faushnu": baby  
> -"braav": brat


	4. MTF

“There- right there,” she gasped, her head thrown back and jaw dropped in bliss. Her fingers dug into the wall and eyes fluttered, the heel of Nick’s palm pressing tight circles against the small of her back where it had caused the most misery. He steadied her as she swayed, almost delirious to have the tight knot in her muscles worked loose after weeks of achy days at work alongside bad chairs that only made it worse, even with the small support pillow she’d bought to try and alleviate the discomfort. 

“Fuck,” she drawled, and he patted her side, snorting when she faced him with heavy eyes and a loose grin. 

“Feel that good?” he asked. 

“You have no idea how sore it’s been,” She leaned back into her hands, her stomach poking farther out as the ease in her spine returned. “Now that I can’t, all I wanna do is sleep on my stomach,”

“Maybe a heating pad would help?” he suggested. 

“Or you could keep giving me back rubs,” she smiled, her bottom lip between her teeth and walking into his chest until her chin rested against his collar. Callie didn’t loosen her hold around his waist until he agreed, nuzzling her face against his neck as he pressed wandering kisses into her jaw. 

Before he could get carried away, he unwound from her, more notably removing his hands from her ass. “Okay I gotta go,” he kissed into her cheek, even leaning down to place one on the top of her stomach. 

“Text me when you’re off- I might still be at Rosie’s.” she called as he walked towards the door, and he waved, bothering Pucca who had been sprawled across the couch before leaving. 

Callie exhaled, looking around at the few things that needed to be done before leaving, scratching her growing stomach like an animal. _Need more cocoa butter_. 

↠

His fingers flipped through the paperwork as he ambled towards the back of the station, his Clubmasters pushed up and the last few bites of a concha between his jaws. His new stack of Miranda Warnings, a new citation book, the daily roster of criminal suspects that they were to keep an eye out for- nothing exciting. Looked to be another uneventful day ahead of him. 

“Jakoby!”

Nick startled, turning to find Ward stomping down the hallway furiously, pushing through other officers. 

“Wha?” he asked, the concha still in his mouth and hairless brows tightening. 

“The fuck have you been?” Daryl hissed, pulling Nick back down the hall, his papers and bag nearly falling from his arms. 

“Daryl what’the fu-”

“Kandomere’s been here an hour grillin’ me and you haven’t been answering your phone!”

“It didn’t ring-” but he was already pulled into an office, his neutral mood immediately plunging as soon as he laid golden eyes on the blue-haired elf perched neatly at the edge of the table, turning his cold gaze on the officers. 

“Orc,” Kandomere greeted. 

_Here we fucking go_. “Elf,” Nick replied just as snobbily, setting his papers down and sitting beside Ward. 

“We’ve been trying to reach you all morning,” the elf explained, fixing his baroque waistcoat, marred with golden swirls embroidered into royal blue, silky fabric, a shining chain hanging from the pocket that matched the dazzling breastplate most elves brandished. 

“Didn’t get any calls,” Nick replied coolly. 

“Would you like me to show you the call logs?”

“Here,” Nick took out his phone, sliding it across the tables surface. “See for yourself. Oh but wait- you already have everything tapped! How could I forget,” the Orc grinned. 

“A small price to pay for your freedom,” Kandomere replied matter of factly, his eyes on the folders he was pulling from his equally elegant leather portfolio briefcase. 

“Can we just get this over with?” Ward interjected, and Nick crossed his brawny arms. 

New statements and briefings- page after page of incident descriptions were handed out; encounters with possible Bright’s, and always the same questions: any sightings, any signs, anything suspicious around their homes. Always the same questions with the same answers. 

Call logs were always laid out, and Kandomere could never seem to wrap his head around believing them when they’d explain spam calls were a far more common thing than ringing up an old Bright friend they’d had no contact with in years. 

After the small stacks of papers had been skimmed, photos were distributed; a large stack that made up what Tikka could’ve looked like, or how she could be disguised. There was always that one to reference her, not that Nick or Daryl needed it. The events of that night would always be branded into their minds. 

Newest photos were always at the top, and new ones hadn’t been added in months, but Nick stopped on one before he could toss it aside with the others. The elf wasn’t even showing her face, and her hair was very long, however it was the shape of her mostly concealed profile that halted him. Small chin, but sharp jaw. He acutely studied it, even tilting the image, willing the girl in the photo to turn. 

“Something ring a bell?” Ward asked, looking over. 

Nick winced, still moving the photo around under the light like it would change the angle. “Hair is too long,”

“Need I remind you it was 4 years ago you saw her,” Kandomere pointed out. 

“No, you needn't remind me,” Nick mimicked. “Where was this one taken?”

The Elf overlooked his papers. “Dana Point, 2 days ago,”

It had been years they endured these weekly visits, even after formally agreeing they’d go on with their lives like nothing had happened. But if there was one thing the MTF was known for, it was twisting arms to get the information they wanted, which included written agreements evaporating into thin air like they’d never been interrogated into signing. It had also been long enough that Nick had figured there’d never be anything about Tikka to ever show up in these meetings again. But now, here Nick was, questioning the clarity of his own eyesight as he stared down at this strangely familiar portion of a face. 

Nick placed it down apart from the others. “This one’s a maybe,”

“For real?” Ward exclaimed, snatching it before Kandomere could. 

“What do you say?” Nick asked him. 

“Dunno. She was always cowering and hunched over but this girls all straight and normal,” he sighed, placing the photo down. 

“There’s been no other sightings like this one?” Nick asked, a little more invested than before. 

“No,” Kandomere dropped the folder onto the table bitterly. “That individual slipped under the radar,”

Nick thought back, shuffling through the papers to locate the briefing from the week prior. “Is this after the sightings in San Diego?”

Kandomere nodded, watching Nick flip the found paper back and forth, skimming it for anything he could’ve missed in his boredom. 

“Okay assuming it’s her- why would she come back? LA is MTF’s headquarters,” Ward asked, leaning forward. 

“Don’t you think I’ve asked Shield of Light that same question?” Kandomere angrily bit back, and the officers rolled their eyes. Back to dead ends. “Lest you not forget to not interact if you see her-”

“And not apprehend.” Nick and Ward said in unison, only stirring Kandomere’s annoyance further. 

“We’re done.” Kandomere turned as he spoke, and the men rose, no goodbyes or handshakes before they departed. 

The two walked in silence, always left with a bad taste in their mouths after meetings like those. Ward would never say it aloud, but Nick suspected he was impacted differently from Tikka. Though Nick had had a close brush with death, Ward had come face to face with accepting he was a Bright; a responsibility that weighed heavily on his mind and filled him with fear. Harnessing something so powerful, even briefly, had been a branding experience. He’d sometimes look at himself in the mirror, searching for anything he’d missed over the years that could’ve given any indication to being such a powerful individual, and it sometimes left him unsure of who he really was.

“That was fuckin’ weird,” Daryl mumbled as they made it to the locker rooms.

“What’s weird would be Tikka coming back,” Nick said just as lowly, moving to his locker. 

“Maybe she wants to catch up around some drinks,” 

Nick glared flatly, pulling the lock off and stuffing his belongings away for the day. 

“Would you call them? If you saw her?” 

He studied that question, a few scenarios flying before his eyes in rapid succession before finally shrugging, then nodding. 

“Seriously?”

“She brought a storm with her last time. I can’t have that shit around Callie and the baby,” he explained, a little upset over the confusing emotions of betraying a friend he’d once been ready to throw his own life over to keep safe, but his priorities had changed drastically in the years. He’d gone from have nothing to lose, to everything. “What if Sophia was around when you saw her?”

“Nah man, I get it. Kids change shit.” Ward nodded, buttoning his uniform. 

Nick finished dressing, his belt the last item to wind around his hips and everything shoved into the utility pockets before he stopped to fix the photos on the inside of his locker. The 12 week ultrasound was beside his and Callie’s photo booth strip, and below that a few shots of them together over the years, even one of Pucca when she’d dug up his garden for the first time. 

They both turned when Sergey came rushing through the locker room, ignoring protests from defensive officers that were merely offended by his proximity as he fumbled to open his locker. 

Nick’s nose scrunched, the pungent scent pushing a low chuff from him. “At it with Dura again?”

Sergey exhaled, eyes closing as his forehead hit the locker. “Ukhe'uk uko viciouuk nalkruska ukhe'uk shal heaav,” 

“No shit?” Nick laughed, Ward looking on curiously, a brow cocked.

The rookie pulled up the back of his shirt with a long groan to reveal the deep crescent marks adorning his skin, and the deeper scratches moving up his spine and arms, some of them covered with bandages. 

“Jesus,” Ward looked on in horror beside a cringing Nick, connecting the dots. “You do that to Callie?” he asked him, nudging his shoulder. 

“She likes to be roughed up a bit,” Nick smirked, causing Ward to blow air between his lips. 

“Y’all are too much.”

Nick bumped Sergey’s arm, leaning in to say lowly, “Fold lav-li shal gism agh ukhe'll calm poshat.”

“Fold her!?” Sergey exclaimed, his eyes wide. 

Ward looked back as he was leaving the locker room, concern written across his features. 

↠

The door opened, and Rosie smiled as soon as Callie did. “Heeeeey!”

The sisters hugged, arching over Callie’s stomach. “And how’s my little niece doing? Is she doing good?” Rosie cooed to her belly, her hands being slapped away. 

“Why is everyone so convinced it’s a girl?” Callie mumbled in question, walking into Rosie’s home before kicking off her shoes by the door. 

“I’ve never been wrong, where’s Nick?”

“Working. Where are my babies?” she asked, looking around and leaning back into one hand as the other fanned her face. 

Rosie glanced back outside, and when she found no truck, she spun. “Callie! Did you take the bus?” 

“It’s _fine_ , people are a lot nicer when they don’t know you’re carrying an Orc’s baby,” she winked, even though Rosie was in a state of disbelief. “Ninos!” she exclaimed, arms throwing open when Dyani and Joaquin spotted her from upstairs and came bolting down into her embrace. 

She showered them with kisses and soft words, slipping pica fresas into their waiting palms before they tried to pull her back towards their rooms. 

“Gonna get them all wired and then leave me with them?” her sister said bitterly, moving to the living room. 

“Ah you’ll do the same with mine when it’s old enough.”

 

“C’mon, you’re not gonna be able to last,” Rosie pushed, a wide smile across her devious face. 

“I want it to be a surprise!” Callie defended, holding Dyani’s foot steady as she painted her tiny toenails, the narrow, blue eyed girl looking on in amazement how her aunt did it so meticulously. 

“And at that moment, you’ll look down at it’s little face and say oh, I guess I did want the other one,”

“You’re awful,” she laughed, setting one foot down and picking up the other to balance on her round stomach. 

“I wanna throw a baby shower for you. I’ll pay for a goddamn ultrasound if I can just know the theme!” 

“Unisex showers exist,” Callie battled, flashing a stubborn glance in her sisters direction. 

“What about a gender reveal?” There was a glimmer in Rosie’s eyes when she tried that one, but Callie still shook her head. 

“Nope. You can’t crack me, it’s useless,”

“Agh, okay pues,” Rosie gave up, sitting back in her couch and her fingers tapping against her Corona as she watched Callie paint on the glittery blue polish. “Trish offered to help with it,”

Callie snorted. “She wants an excuse to hang around and gossip. She’s become Tia Laydee, two different baby daddies and all,”

“That’s a steep accusation,” 

“It’s true and you know it,” she paused to let Dyani’s foot go, telling her to keep her feet up as she spun in her spot and snuggled up beside Callie with her tablet in hand. “I told her to leave me alone and she went and started kicking up shit just to be petty. You notice that whenever she wants to reconcile it’s always passed along through you or mom? She’s never called or texted me. She’s two faced,” 

Rosie nodded stiffly, knowing she was speaking truthfully on the matter. _At least I tried_ , Rosie thought to herself, but knew there would be nothing more to argue. She wouldn’t want unnecessary drama in her life either, especially if she were back in the position of a first time mom. 

“Feel any kicks yet?” she asked instead, drumming her fingertips against Callie’s stomach. 

Callie shook her head, the corner of her mouth pulled in. “Sometimes I think I do,”

“You’ll know when it happens,” 

Callie’s hands rounded her stomach, and she looked outward, her head a little loose atop her shoulders and her thumbs rubbing slowly over herself. 

“Hey,” Rosie poked her arm. “Que paso?”

A shrug, but her shoulders remained in. “What if it never starts kicking?”

“Don’t,” Rosie held up a finger, halting the intruding thoughts. “Don’t go there. You’ll drown yourself before there’s even a hint of a possibility of that happening,” 

“I’ve already lost-”

“ _Before_ you finished your first trimester. You’re not in pain, your scans are clear, and nothing is wrong so there’s no reason to believe something like that would happen. You’re what, 16 weeks now? You’ve officially left that place and now you’re here. You’re gonna make it this time,” Rosie comforted, smoothing her hand along Callie’s hair as she looked on with a weak smile, her eyes glossy. 

Her leg was bouncing, her eyes a swarm of unsaid worries, but the longer Rosie’s words settled into her mind, the more she calmed. Rosie knew to an extent what she felt- to have your own creation ripped from your arms, and then to go on with that as a scar seen across your own body no one else could, but she still wished there was something she could offer to ease her, though she knew there would be nothing definite until Callie could hold her baby in her arms. 

“How’d you and Nick manage to pull it off?” she asked, veering away from that dark corner. “Was it the fertility treatments?” 

“No, not this time. I mean it technically worked the last time, but the shots and mood swings and everything- I couldn’t do it again. Sex became like a chore after having to do it on a schedule around the clock,” Callie explained, speaking from the corner of her mouth when Dyani looked at her mom curiously, the mention of a very taboo word sparking her interest. 

“You,” Rosie snapped her fingers, pointing towards the back room Joaquin was in. “Ve con tu hermano,”

“Maaa!” Dyani griped, her curls framing her thin face as she leaned forward to look past her aunt. 

“Now, mija.” Rosie asserted, her expression set in stone as her daughter stood, and trudged slowly to the back room stock full of games and another TV they had all their consoles hooked up to. She looked back to Callie in hopes her aunt would save her, but she hid her smile behind her fingers and suppressed a giggle when Dyani’s head poked out from behind the wall, only to be snapped at by her mother until she settled into the room with a loud, exasperated groan. 

“Nick went back to using his nose to track my cycles,” 

She saw it take a few times over in her head for it to register, but not make any more sense. “What?”

“He can smell when I’m about to start my period and he goes into heat around those times so it was just about waiting,” Callie explained. She’d never said this out loud to anyone, not even her friends that she kept up with, so it left her feeling a little… embarrassed. She’d gotten used to these little Orc things, but to others, it was all new and admittedly, probably, very strange. 

Rosie’s mouth was pursed into an ‘o’ as her words turned in her head, her eyes moving around. “So you had sex on your period?” she asked lowly.

“Before, like right before. A little during… yeah, we did but it worked!” Callie exclaimed with a reserved smile. 

“And that kept you from miscarrying again?” Rosie asked, sitting deeper into her seat. 

“Oh!” _I thought she meant…_ ”I don’t know actually. Nick says 3rd times the charm but I think it has to do with the Orkish prenatals my doctor prescribed,” 

“Oh yeah? Stronger dose?”

Callie nodded eagerly. “My nails and hair are growing so fast now it’s stupid,” she mumbled, curling her fingers to look at her nails. 

“Yeah I was gonna say, you didn’t have all this the last time I saw you,” Rosie chuckled, lifting a few locks of hair off of Callie’s shoulder. “Little girl is gonna have so much hair,” she added, her face tightening in tenderness. 

Callie rolled her eyes. “I’m just gonna go ahead and assume it’s a girl since everyone thinks it is,”

“I’ve never been wrong. Guessed all four of mine and got Santi’s, too,” Rosie boasted, earning a light shove from her sister. “Have any names picked out?” 

“Nick mentioned Leonardo last week and I haven’t been able to get away from it since,” Callie said softly, her bottom lip between her teeth in a smile as the name brought forth warmth. 

“A little Leo,” Rosie pouted. “Too bad it’s gonna be a girl,” 

Callie snorted. “Veronika or Camilla than. Maybe Renata,”

“Nice long names that’ll be a bitch to spell in kindergarten,” 

“Fuck you.” Callie laughed, throwing a stuffed animal as Rosie guarded her Corona. 

↠

**Just walk in when you get here chato**

Nick chuffed, replying to the message sourly: **Stop calling me that, brat**

But he followed Callie’s instructions after parking the truck in Rosie’s driveway, and let himself into the tall two story house. No one to be seen from the foyer, and from what he could see around the corner, there wasn’t anyone sitting on the couch before the large wall mounted TV, either. 

“Uncle Nick!”

He pulled his head back, finding Dyani bounding towards him from down the hall that lead to the other rooms of the house, her dark curls bouncing around her face.

“Ahh there’s my girl,” he grinned, leaning down to hug her tightly and place a few kisses on her head as she embraced his waist. “Where’s your Tia?”

“Drinking with mama,” she sang, her wide grin narrowing her already fox like eyes. 

Nick’s ears flicked. “Drinking?”

“It’s iced tea, you little liar!” he heard Callie call from the back of the house, and frowned down at Dyani playfully as she looked up at him with big, guilty, blue eyes. 

“Can I play the plant game on your phone?” she asked innocently, and he narrowed his eyes at her with a low _‘hmm’_ before handing the phone over, watching her bound away in the direction he was headed. 

He found his lover in the same guest room they’d spent a few days in a couple years back when Rosie and Daryl had gone on a trip, leaving Dyani and Joaquin in their care for an extended weekend. Nick withheld a chuckle, wondering if Rosie would ever know that he had Callie pinned to that very wall she had hung a few family photos on. 

Callie was rested in the lush chair beside the spare bed, her feet propped up on a stool with pillows under her elbows and a mug of tea balanced on her round stomach, beaming at him warmly. 

“That’s a Kodak moment,” he grinned. 

“Look at all the maternity clothes Rosie still has!” she piped excitedly, pointing to her sister who was half in the closet and throwing bags around. 

“Yeah now you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg at the mall,” she huffed, stacking another two pairs of elastic banded shorts onto the already tall pile atop the bed. 

“That expensive?” he asked, leaning his knee against the bed as he looked over the piles of jeans and shorts and shirts. 

“About 60 bucks a piece,” 

“What- why!?” he shouted, holding up a pair, trying to justify why they’d be so heinously priced. 

“That’s why I’ve been doing the hair-tie trick all this time,” Callie mentioned. 

“Why didn’t you sell any of this?” Nick asked. “Could’ve made a fortune,”

“Cause I knew you’d have a baby one day,” Rosie said softly, looking at Callie in the same manner. 

“Now I can buy that stroller set,” Callie realized, and Nick looked at her enthusiastically. 

“You wanna?” It was the first time she’d been the one to approach buying anything baby related, and it made his heart thunder with excitement. 

She nodded, hiding her smile behind her mug and toes curling as he walked towards her and leaned his hands against the armrests to kiss her a few long times, but only until Rosie cleared her throat loudly. 

“Excuse me, I don’t like being the third wheel in my own home,” she smiled sarcastically. 

“Let’s go get it tonight,” Nick offered, catching Callie off guard. 

“I don’t have the money to right now,”

“I’m gonna buy it,” he corrected, as if she should’ve known that already. 

“You?”

“Yeah, me. That’s _my_ baby,”

“That’s in _my_ stomach,”

“That _I_ stuck in you and is my job to carry around-”

“Oh God, both of you stop and just go buy the stroller,” Rosie demanded, having finished bagging the last of the clothes up and grabbing the pair still in Nick’s hands. 

“Excuse me you had no place butting in,” Callie grinned smugly. 

“Don’t make me punch you in the stomach.” Rosie fired back, and Callie’s jaw dropped as Nick scoffed loudly. 

Their visit dragged on, partly due to Dyani asking Nick to help her with her homework when Rosie caught her on his phone. It wasn’t often that kids had Orkish uncles at their disposal when taking Orkish language courses, so he sat with her at the small desk in her room, walking her through pronunciation and sentence structures, impressed with how quickly she was picking up a third language. 

It also gave Callie the chance to help Rosie set up dinner in the meantime, a quiet Joaquin stepping in to follow his mother around as they threw something together. Daryl arrived soon after, but was greeted by a smack to the back of his head instead of a kiss from his wife when he came in with a cigarette between his lips and motor oil coating his hands and boots. Not only was there no smoking allowed inside, or around the kids, but around his pregnant cuñada, no less. He quickly extinguished it, giving a low and bashful ‘sorry’ to Callie before a quick kiss on the cheek, then a hesitant one to Rosie who’s killer gaze could’ve ended his life there at that moment. 

By then, Nick and Callie stayed for dinner, all of them huddled around the long table and chatting with one another, mostly about Rosie and Nick’s day to day bullshit on calls and Daryl’s dilemmas with people who didn’t know anything about car maintenance. 

By the time they were leaving, a deal had been struck up between the men that if Daryl changed the oil to Nick’s Dodge, he’d plant the ridiculous amount of flowers and shrubbery Rosie had insisted on adding to their jungle of a backyard. 

With goodbye hugs and kisses to the kids, they left with bags full of clothes and a few containers of leftovers, a pep in Nick’s step as he rounded the truck to help her in. 

“You’re awfully chipper,” she grunted, struggling into the truck. 

“I have an idea in mind,”

“Which is?” she asked, but he closed the door and made his way around to the drivers side, throwing the bags in the back. “Hello?” she giggled. 

“You’ll see,” he turned the ignition. 

“Oh c’mon,” 

He shrugged. “It’s just-”

Nick’s phone buzzed loudly against the center console, and a quick glimpse at the screen had him exhaling, already annoyed immensely. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me- hello?”

“Orc, get here now,” Kandomere greeted, just as cheerily as Nick had. 

“I’m kind of busy-”

“Now.” The line went dead, and Nick looked at the screen, struggling to stifle the stream of curses that fought past his clenched jaw. 

“Duty calls?” she asked, leaning on an elbow in his direction. 

“Shouldn’t take that long if you wanna come with. We can still go afterwards,” he tried, hope curving his hairless brows up. 

“Determined to get that stroller, huh?” 

 

His finger pointed to the door lock in a jabbing motion once he’d closed the drivers door, and she pressed the button diligently, her feet lifting to sit indian style in the seat as the music volume increased inside the truck. 

Antagonism radiated off of Nick as he stomped hotly to the station, a deeper glare on his face than usual. Small greetings were brushed off quickly in his haste to make it through the winding halls of the station, the door bouncing off the wall when it swung open to the room Kandomere was already in, Ward sat before him in a chair. 

Nick stopped his rampage. He could feel the tension in the room before he’d even need to scent it. He was quieter in closing the door behind him, and there was neither hateful glares or bitter remarks between the Orc and Elf. Something was wrong. 

Kandomere gestured towards the seat beside Ward, and before Nick sat, the photo of Tikka in his hands stopped his heart. It was entirely, definitely her. Longer hair, sharper clothing, but there was no mistaking that face. 

“Holy shit,” Nick mumbled, observing better once it was handed to him. “Where?”

“LA, 2 hours ago,” Kandomere handed out more, a brief encounter showing her moving through a crowd of people before melting into the background again. 

“Why didn’t you grab her?” Ward asked. 

“There’s a system in place for identifying people. We can’t just grab anyone off the streets,” he pinched the bridge of his nose as he exhaled that, barely getting it out through his clenched jaw. 

“You really needed to confirm this?” Nick asked with raised brows, a disbelieving grin on his face. 

“Orc-”

“Nick. My name is **Nick** ,” he interjected, golden eyes unwavering against Kandomere’s icy blues. He tugged the ends of his waistcoat stiffly, fixing his posture. 

“There’s also been spikes in wand activity,” he grabbed another chart, tossing it onto the table. “There were sporadic signals around these towns, but since then there’s been another source setting off the detectors,” 

“Two… two wands?” Ward yelled.

“What would she need two wands for?” Nick asked below his breath, overlooking the multiple blips that had been recorded. 

“She was raised Inferni,” Kandomere reiterated. 

“And then she helped kill her own sister. Why would she revert back?” Ward questioned, but none of them had answers, only assumptions. 

“Ideals change. Something could’ve spooked her- anything. Bright’s are unpredictable,” Kandomere listed, unsatisfied with his own justifications. He watched the officers exchange looks, and straightened his collar. “You two are going to be tailed for the time being,”

That caught both of their attentions, their heads snapping in his direction. 

“Until she’s apprehended I can’t risk you two running off-”

“You think we wanna get caught up in that shit again? Risk my daughter? He’s got a baby on the way, we don’t need this shit! We ain’t got nothin’ to do with it this time!” Ward hollered, standing fast enough that his chair fell back behind him. 

Kandomere only organized the scattered papers, biting back harsh words, and instead gritting through dazzling fangs, “You won’t even know they’re there.” 

Nick only scoffed, pulling his hands down his face. _This is just fucking great_. 

“Don’t approach-”

“We fucking know!” Ward forced out as calmly as he could, though Nick could see the red burning in his eyes and that vein bulging on his forehead. The men rose, uncaring enough to push in their chairs or even bother closing the door behind them as they left. 

Kandomere exhaled, eyes still trained on the open door as he calmly stacked the papers and photos, his tired eyes eventually moving away. 

Nick and Ward both seemed to have the same general idea, for in unison they headed for the morning briefing room where no one would be. It was dark, the chairs placed upon the tables, the smallest bit of light coming in from the hallway. The perfect place for the men to let go of that held breath, and circle aimlessly to collect their scattered thoughts. 

“This is such bullshit,” Nick scoffed, stopping to squat down with his hands on his head. 

“Why the fuck does he assume she’d come scopin’ us out? If she’s stirrin’ up dark magic how are we gonna help?” Ward questioned, out loud, but he was facing a wall, trying to push the confusion out in hopes it would stifle the anger. 

Nick shook his head, staring at the cold floor. “Callie’s gonna leave me this time,”

Ward spun, dark brows knit together. “Say what?”

“I keep getting her involved in horrific shit, but this time? If she finds out? She’ll leave. If I even mention a little of what’s happening she’s gonna freak and wanna protect that baby even if it means leaving me,” 

“No she won’t,” Ward argued, but Nick stood, his body looking like it was on the verge of caving in on itself. 

“I dunno- maybe it’d be best to send her away ‘til this blew over,”

Ward stepped in front of him, his head following his until Nick kept eye contact and accepted that ‘ _you sound like a fucking dumbass_ ’ look. “Yeah, you do that. Sending your pregnant lady off for some unknown amount of time is the best way to start a family,” 

The Orc exhaled, nodding, turning away with that idea obliterated. 

“Just keep it cool. Don’t say anything until you have to,” Ward advised. Nick wondered then if he’d ever match that degree of level-headedness, but figured it had taken years upon years to even get there. Nick still had some time. 

“Sherri know?” 

Ward smirked, shaking his head. “Nah, she’d leave my ass too,”

A beat of silence, and then they chuckled, both in the same goddamn boat. 

“Callie’s waiting,” Nick intoned, his mood a little less miserable. 

“Yeah I gotta get goin’. Keep your eyes peeled, Fogteeth.” Ward cautioned, bumping forearms with Nick in classic Orkish style. They parted ways in the hall, Daryl moving onto work and Nick heading for the front, returning quick hello’s and nods a little kinder this time around. 

Outside, his eyes immediately scanned the night for anything out of place, but couldn’t see anything outright, neither MTF or platinum blonde elves with glowing wands. 

Callie was still curled up in the passenger seat, scrolling through her phone and taking small bites of the duritos Rosie had sent them home with. 

“Oo, you look irritated,” she chewed, watching Nick climb into the car with a hard exhale. 

_Don’t say anything until you have to_. “Some moron mixed up a bunch of intakes,” he lied, masking his nervous lip biting by turning to pull his seatbelt on. Her soft ‘ha’ calmed him, and he blew air quietly before turning to start the car. 

“How d’you keep your cool working with so many idiots?”

“Same way you do working with a bunch of slackers.” He winked, apprehension draining from his jittering hands with every smooth palm of the wheel. In Callie’s hold, they stopped fidgeting altogether, even as he often glanced in the rearview mirror, keeping a watchful eye for the tail. 

↠

He pulled the cart from the others, pushing it to her waiting hands so she could lean on it while they wandered. It was either this or asking Nick for a piggy-back ride; her back was in complete misery. Doctors warned that every week her center of gravity would shift, more so carrying an Orcs child, but she didn’t expect this. 

“Don’t leave me alone- I’ll buy half the store,” Callie cooed, already eyeing the dollar section hungrily. 

“That’s why I ask you to come with me to Home Depot everytime.” he cackled, steering the cart from behind her when he saw a familiar glint in her eyes upon scoping out the small, porcelain donkey shaped salt and pepper shakers. Callie groaned low, muttering and arguing as he did with his face pressed against her hair and directing the cart towards the back of the Target. 

Of course they didn’t stay entirely on track. She finagled the cart back into her control towards the pet section, picking out, in Nick’s opinion, an extremely tacky baby pink studded collar for Pucca, but she dished out the same opinions when he plucked a bundle of onesies with poorly drawn duckies all over them from a rack. 

“But look at the socks!” he argued, face twisted in affection when he held up the duck shaped booties. 

In the end, both were tossed in the cart before finally heading for strollers, a few snacks also thrown in, of course. 

He followed with the cart as she looked them over, critical of the brands until she stopped, and pointed to the tag. 

“This is the one,” she declared, and he caught up after stopping to look at the expensive oscillator, looking it over just as critically. 

“It’s all black,”

“Sleek,” she grinned, head tilted as her touch traced the soft curve of the carseat handle to the pleated canopy that folded neatly like fairy wings. 

“What if it’s a girl?” 

“Then we’ll cover it in pink blankets and make sure she wears shirts that say daddy’s girl,” her playful grin aided her words, and Nick flushed, his ears twitching as he cleared his throat and grabbed the large box from below to place in the barely spacey enough cart. He hushed her lowly when she elbowed his side, seeing the gooey emotions take hold of his imagination. Countless times he’d envisioned a little girl with his nose and eyes, attached at his hip during everyday errands and tasks, showing her everything and never less than nothing. 

“You sure you wanna buy it?” Callie asked, following when he redirected the cart. 

“Mhm.” he hummed proudly, his chest puffed. It was cute, really, Callie thought. Looking at him, she’d never peg Nick for the dad type, but he was already adapting to the role seamlessly. 

The lines were long and cut into the paths of shoppers, igniting a few squabbles between people that thought it ridiculous to be stuck at a Target so late at night, but with Nick’s arms around her and hands clasped atop her stomach, leaning back against his chest meant it was easy for her to ignore that racket as they waited for their own line to progress. 

“Can we have Jamba Juice for second dinner?” Callie asked, having spotted a few people carrying the cups. Saliva pooled in her mouth just thinking of the Mango-orange smoothie. 

“No more cheese?” his chin moved atop her head as he spoke. 

“Always, but our avocado wants a smoothie,”

Nick chuckled. “Don’t blame it on the baby,”

“It’s like you, always hungry,”

“You can’t use that anymore since you’ve started eating your weight in cheese.” An elbow in his ribs made him grunt, and effectively shut him up. 

The cashiers bewildered expression when looking between Callie’s round stomach and the towering Orc beside her stirred a few low growls from Nick, but she just pulled him along once their purchase had been made, a comforting arm looping around his as they headed for the food court. 

 

His line of sight still jumped around in the rearview mirror as he drove home, a wide hand splayed across her stomach as usual. He was to an extent relieved that she hadn’t caught onto what he felt was poorly masked distress he tried to play up as ‘stomach aches’. More like nausea, honestly. 

Callie in turn held a hand over his, her thumb stroking the rough skin in hopes to somehow ease his troubles that went far beyond what he was letting on to. Even that small caress alleviated some of the unrest however, as well as keeping a safe hand over their baby. 

Another glance in the rearview mirror, but he didn’t see any sign of a tail. Kandomere had been truthful. 

 

His hand smacked Pucca’s bottom firmly, the pitbull dropping her front paws from Callie’s stomach and her ears flattening against her skull like her body did to the floor as he scolded her, tail still wagging and big eyes looking up at him. 

“Nick,” Callie pouted, her heart going out to their K9 companion. 

“She knows better- what if you knocked mama over?” he asked Pucca, but she was rolling onto her back, feet in the air and wiggling back and forth. “Dumb beast.” he mumbled, patting her side a few times. 

Nick didn’t waste time in sitting in the middle of the living room with the box, meticulously laying out the pieces of the stroller and carseat set, and offering an upturned palm to Callie to help lower her onto the ground next to him, more of an observer as she sipped her Jamba Juice. She traded him the instruction manual for pieces again and again after she’d contributed her expertise which was clicking the carseat into the car base. 

It took no time at all to finish popping the last wheel into place, and Nick stood to master folding the stroller before picking up the car seat to click it in, pulling the canopy down. 

“This is surreal,” he grinned, wheeling it around the house, testing it’s turning radius and balance before taking the car seat back out to study its weight. 

“Those get heavy as shit with a baby in them,” 

“Weight lift with it then.” Nick lifted the car seat, flexing playfully to make her giggle. 

When he suddenly grabbed the base beside her on the carpet and took with him the car seat and his keys once hung on the hook by the door, she struggled to follow him outside, finding him already half in the backseat of the truck and tugging on the seatbelt. She waited, leaning back into her hands and swaying side to side to try and alleviate the restlessness in her legs as he pulled back forcefully against the seatbelt wound into the base, finally at peace with how secure it was before clicking in the car seat, and stepping back beside her. 

“That looks good,” he nodded, both of them looking at the elegant black car seat perched perfectly in the middle seat. 

The corners of her mouth kicked up in a small smile. “Yeah it does,” she agreed, looping an arm around his back as he leaned over to kiss her head, his arms hung around her shoulders. It was becoming easier to imagine their lives ongoing now with a little mutt mixed in, but it was harder to imagine that one day they’d be arriving to the hospital with an empty car seat and leaving with a baby in it, coming home no longer as just a couple, but a _family_. 

“This is what you had in mind earlier?” she asked, and he haughtily nodded. 

“Now to get one of those baby wrap things. Carry it right here.” he motioned to his chest, and her heart fluttered some more. More images flittering across her eyes; a baby so small in his strong arms, cradled safely against his chest. 

Her eyes welled some; _god damn hormones_. 

It was then that Callie loosened her grip on her bubbling excitement, and let more of it consume her, allowing the daydreams and desires to occupy the darker parts of her mind that immense worry had populated. 

_No more of that shit. You’re staying ‘til the end, little one_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh _shiiiit_ it's starting  
> There's gonna be a lot of fluff and cuteness in this sequel so if you're not about it, please step aside while i release all the pent up fluff i had in me while writing the endless smut of Bell Peppers haha. thanks for reading!🖤
> 
> Orkish translations:  
> - _Ukhe'uk uko viciouuk nalkruska ukhe'uk shal heaav_ : she's so vicious when she's in heat  
> - _Fold lav-li shal gism agh ukhe'll calm poshat_ : fold her in half and she'll calm down
> 
> Spanish translations:  
> - _ninos_ : kids  
> - _que paso?_ : what's wrong?  
> - _Ve con tu hermano_ : go with your brother  
> - _cuñada_ : sister-in-law (okay i think i got this one wrong??? i know sister in laws call each other it but my husband isn't here as i edit it so if it's wrong please forgive me🙏)


	5. Manifest

In uncertainty, he ran his tongue over his clipped tusks, reading each seed packet critically, but this had been the third time he’d done so and he still wasn’t any closer to deciding on one. It wasn’t that he worried about the possible challenges with growing watermelon, it was the damn brands; two of his favorites. 

Nick chuffed, shuffling the packets with averted eyes a few times before dropping one into the cart filled with large potted plants Callie had chosen, and placing the other back on the shelf. He looked down- nope, that wouldn’t do. He switched his selection, fighting the impulse to shuffle all over again. 

He looked up from his dilemma when Callie turned the corner, a hand on her ever growing stomach and less tension in her shoulders. 

“Much better,” she sighed, reaching for the water in the cart. 

“At that rate you’re gonna be back in 10 minutes,” he avoided eye contact when he said that, knowing she’d have a placid stare ready for him. 

“Or cause your monster baby is sitting on my bladder,” she piped, fiddling with the long, spear like leaves of the plant she’d chosen and delicately tucking in the star like one of the other two she planned to hang from the ceiling beside the sliding glass door. 

“Which is why we shouldn’t’ve bought those newborn onesies…” he trailed off, an irked groan coming from her. 

“Oh my _god_ here we go again,” 

“She’s not gonna fit in them,” Nick argued, firm on this side of the debate they’d had countless times. 

“We don’t know how big _they_ will be, so shut it, chato,” 

“Keep callin’ me that and I’m gonna stick somethin’ in your mouth.” he said against the shell of her ear, but a quick swipe of her hand pushed his face away before he curled a strong arm around her neck to pull her back in, half-hearted shoves against his chest doing nothing. 

Callie only allowed them to complete their purchase until after an associate had guaranteed none of the plants they were buying were harmful to a dog that had an odd obsession with chewing on flowers or greens, even though Nick had assured multiple times he’d Googled it before they even made it to the store. 

Walking became a little slower every week that passed, not only because of Callie’s sore back, but for the impressive size of her 17 week belly that had her officially waddling beside him through the parking lot. That also meant when she hoisted herself into the truck now, his hand stayed on her back, ready to catch her if she tumbled. Being so small never posed such a threat. 

“To T-Mobile?” he asked as he turned the engine, grinning at her sheepish nod. 

“Hopefully it’s just the screen,” she mumbled, looking at the poor state of her shattered phone. “Guess I should invest in one of those Lifeproof cases,”

“Callie proof,” he ribbed, but she couldn’t really disagree with that. Throwing her phone across the room in attempts to simply pull it from her back pocket was an everyday occurrence. 

A clustered fluttering stirred in her stomach, and a stifled groan snagged Nick’s attention as she shifted in her seat. “I’m gassy.” she admitted shyly, so he rolled her window down. 

↠

Nick eyeballed the shredded, frying tortillas she flipped and stirred, his mouth watering even with lime and tajin coated jicama between his jaws. Just the smell of the blended tomato, onion and garlic was enough to make him groan in anticipation, and he’d even laid the eggs out beside her when the time came to fry them for the chilaquiles. 

He popped another piece of jicama in his mouth, wincing at the particularly sour piece. 

“Can you start making this everyday?” he inquired over her shoulder, offering her a piece. 

“I’m already getting too chubby,” she chewed, pouring the contents of the blender into the pan. Nick’s excitement was evident as he observed, nearly done with his bowl. “I thought my jeans didn’t fit because of my stomach, but I think it’s my ass,”

“I like your big ass,” he kissed her cheek, and she snorted. 

“Pervert.”

↠

She could sit and watch this for _hours_. 

Callie never grew tired of watching Nick work on his garden, especially under the sun, shirtless and wearing those old stained and faded jeans he’d had longer than she was around. They hugged those toned thighs deliciously and hung low on his hips, effectively dampening her panties everytime he wore them. Add in a little bit of sweat shining off those chiseled muscles across his back and arms he worked so diligently to build up the past few years, and she had her very own private show from the comfort of their backyard. 

Nick liked lap dances, and she loved watching him garden. 

She sipped her iced tea, finding herself unbearably thirsty when he stood and walked to the shade of the overhang she laid under, eyes roaming his brawny body up and down as he stuffed his gloves in the pocket of the jeans. 

“Should have watermelon in a few months,” he informed, reaching for her cup before sitting by her legs. 

“Just in time for summer,” she noted, sliding down her seat when more gas fluttered through her stomach. He hummed as he drank, rubbing her thigh when it stretched across his lap. 

“Still feeling dizzy?”

“Only when I stand up too fast,” she soothed, her hand falling to his shoulder when he leaned in towards her stomach. 

“Why you harassin’ mama? Huh?” he interrogated playfully, her stomach bumping his nose when she stretched to alleviate more gas that never seemed to actually pass. “I was ready to know what the sex was yesterday,”

“Getting impatient?”

Nick nodded, half a frown curling his mouth. “I wanna meet her already,” he mumbled a little sadly, his palm drawing wide circles over her distended stomach. 

“I want _her_ to cook as long as she needs to,” she played along. 

Nick grinned. “I’m kind of excited you’ll pop earlier than expected,” 

“That’s not a for sure thing,”

His brows perked up, his fingers drumming against her stomach when he said, “Tell that to the little thing 4 weeks ahead of schedule,”

 

_The probe had made multiple passes over the same spot, effectively panicking Callie when the doctors eyes stared unblinking at the monitor, her expression a look into her thoughts she couldn’t decipher._

_“Is it alive?” Callie blurted, and Nick grabbed her hand when she tried to sit up._

_“Yes- oh goodness, I apologize. Yes it’s alive,” Dr. Sangui assured, pausing to rest a hand on Callie’s thigh. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,”_

_Callie’s head fell back, hands cupping her head. That engulfed her so rapidly it made her lightheaded. Nick also- his forehead dropped to her shoulder, squeezing her arm in comfort as that momentary torment drained from their system._

_“After all the time it took to find you I thought we’d been too late,” Nick exhaled, holding his head in his hands, then holding Callie’s as she slipped her palm into his._

_“Oh I understand, it’s hard to find high-risk OBGYN’s that specialize in halflings,” Dr. Sangui sympathized, taking a few shots of the ultrasound. “It’s been about 3 weeks since you’ve seen the doctor that referred you?” she asked, and they both nodded._

_“Why the concern?” Callie asked, looking back to the doctor who was still circling in tight swipes over her stomach, her Doctors neat brows curling critically._

_Dr. Sangui’s lips curled up in a tender grin. “Your little one looks to be about 4 weeks ahead of schedule,”_

_The couple studied her words a moment before Callie sat up on her elbows, head tilting before finally saying, “What?”_

_She turned the monitor, revealing an impressive full body side profile of their baby wiggling in her stomach, and Callie’s restive expression softened before the doctors long, thin finger started pointing to the fuzzy image._

_“You can see here- see? Those little hands and fingers? That level of development is normally a milestone at 21 weeks, but the biggest indicator is it’s size. At 17 weeks we’d expect about 5 inches in length, but this little ones already at 9 and around 13 ounces,” she explained, dragging the probe to highlight the little hands they could see curling into fists._

_“Does that explain why my back hurts so much?” Callie was distracted when she asked, admiring her lively baby._

_“You’ve definitely got a big baby coming your way. At 21 weeks you’d see babies at around 10 ounces,” she reflected out loud, her other fingers tapping thoughtfully against the carob skin of her chin._

_“But, it’s okay? Even though it’s growing fast?” Nick asked._

_“So far so good. It’s growing closer to the rate of an Orc which is expected since the father is, but I don’t see anything out of the usual even for a halfling. I think an ultrasound next week will solidify my assumption that you’ll have a sooner due date than expected,” she elaborated, helping her sit up. “That being said, this adds a little more caution to be had since you’re already a high risk pregnancy,”_

_“How’s that?” Nick asked._

_“Labor will be something up for discussion,”_

_“I wanted a natural birth,” Callie reminded._

_“Which I’m not against at all, cause, goodness- more power to you, but with halflings, medical intervention may need to be taken. I’ve had many patients who’ve tried delivering vaginally and the baby’s become stuck in the pelvis because of their size. **That** being said, a woman's body is capable of amazing things, including natural births to large babies,”_

_Nick cringed a little; imagining a baby that big was… scary, honestly. “So this is… generally normal?” he asked, and she nodded encouragingly._

_“Normal Orc gestation is only 7 months. It doesn’t surprise me that the baby is growing faster, I just didn’t expect to be doing a scan on such a developed one when the chart said 17 weeks,” she laughed, her voice harmonic. “But it's a common hiccup in changing doctors. 12 week scans don’t give all that much insight, especially under a nurses scrutiny,”_

_Callie back tracked, her hand raising. “You said growing closer to the rate of an Orc? I thought they aged slower,”_

_“ **Adults** age slowly,” she rolled backwards to reach for a laminated chart from the counter, wheeling back before Callie and swiping her coily hair from her cheek before pointing to the illustrations that timelined an Orcs pregnancy. “Orc growth in the womb is rapid if you take into account the shorter pregnancy terms and size at which Orcs are born, but after birth they age relatively close to humans but reach sexual maturity much sooner than humans. 9 or 10 is the normal age for their first heat cycles to start, and the progression of their aging drops dramatically in their early 30’s,”_

_“You didn’t know that?” Callie poked Nick, but he shook his head._

_“I knew pregnancies were quick but I didn’t think it’d equate to you,” he shrugged._

_“What about halflings?” Callie turned back to Dr. Sangui._

_“Genetic testing after birth can tell us at what percentage they inherited and in turn be able to give us more insight to how they’ll age,”_

_The couple nodded thoughtfully, taking in all the information they’d been withheld from in their search for a specialist. Neither knew there was such contrasting differences in a crossover pregnancy, but above all, it gave them peace of mind knowing what to expect._

_“I always thought I was bigger than I was supposed to be,” Callie mumbled, Nick nodding in agreement. Both of them had noticed that but figured it was just because he’d make big babies. “But everything is okay? It’ll all be okay?” Nick squeezed her thigh reassuringly._

_“From what I see, everything is moving beautifully, so I have no reason to be worried about your progression even if you’re ahead of schedule. If you don’t have any further symptoms out of the ordinary, I’d say your body is handling it very well,” her doctor held her hand, reassuring Callie with a gentle smile and honest words. “We’ll start ultrasounds for cervical length next week. We might as well keep them weekly- you know you’re high risk for gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, and we also don’t want the baby to have developed rapidly and your body overfiring and sending you into preterm labor **or** struggling to catch up if it reaches term sooner,”_

_“What would happen if any of that happened?”_

_Her doctor sighed, clasping her hands. “If you went into early labor, there’s medications that would hopefully halt it, but you’d likely be kept in hospital for observation,”_

_“What if I went into labor tomorrow- I’d have to stay till it’s fully grown?” Callie barked, but she raised her hands calmly._

_“Like I said, it all depends on how the pregnancy progresses. Above all the baby decides when it’s done cooking and every halfling is different. So stay calm, drink lots of water and keep exercising. I have no reason thus far to think you wouldn’t go home with a healthy baby and a somewhat decent recovery at the end of a seemingly normal pregnancy,”_

_Callie’s brows rose unenthusiastically. “Somewhat decent?”_

_“First time recoveries are always tough. Add in a big baby, it gets tougher,” she explained, lips quirked to the side._

_Nick ran his hand over his head, suddenly having multiple things to keep him paranoid at work instead of just one. “So we’re just playing the waiting game?”_

_“More or less, which in that sense isn’t any different from other pregnancies. You’re doing good, Callie. Everything is normal so far,” Dr. Sangui encouraged, handing off their fresh batch of ultrasound scans._

_That eased some of the couples momentary concern, and then Nick’s head perked up. “Does that mean if we wanted we could know the sex?”_

_Callie’s doctor nodded, one eye closing as she pondered. “You technically could’ve known 3 weeks ago.”_

_Nick looked to Callie, but she shook her head, turning his hopeful smile into downcast brows and a deep frown._

 

“Still might decide to cook longer,” she reiterated, smoothing her hand over the back of his head while he placed long smooches against her stomach. Inwardly, she hoped for that. She didn’t know if she could stand seeing their baby in the NICU hooked up to endless wires if her body betrayed her again.

He shrugged. “Either way, as long as it’s healthy,” he turned his head to rest his cheek there, looking up at her. “She’s gonna be so pretty. Just like her mama,”

Callie blew a short raspberry, giggling when he leaned up to press his mouth softly to hers again and again. She held his face, thumbs tracing his handsome cheekbones as he caressed her lips delicately, moaning softly under her delicate touch. 

“You tryin’ to be all sweet and stuff?” she whispered against his eager pecks, noticing the shift from tranquil to starved in his amber eyes, the soft scrape of sharp teeth across her lips when he opened his mouth wider to taste her tongue stirring a low moan. Splayed fingers traced to the back of his head, keeping him locked against her. 

“Tryin’ to get in your pants is more like it.” he slurred, conjuring seductive giggles when his touch traced upwards along her inner thigh. 

↠

“I did! I swear I did,” she laughed, pushing against his bare chest as he looked at her suspiciously. 

“And you never said hi?” he teased, earning another attempt at a smack on his chest, but he caught the blow. 

“Well you were working so excuse me for being polite, officer,”

“Mhm,” he exhaled, an arm draping under her bare breasts and half his face disappearing beside hers in the lush pillow. “What kinds of calls were these that you stalked me on?” 

“Mm,” she pondered thoughtfully, the plump bottom lip she worried between her teeth making Nick lick his own. He wanted to nibble on that lip again. “The one I remember best was at Fifth and Westlake, and the dude had an entire intersection stopped because he was throwing a sword around,” she explained, fingertips tracing the muscle of his forearm. Nick’s interest pulled from her mouth to settle on her sleepy caramels, recalling the start of that strange day years ago. 

“You were there for that?” he asked. 

She nodded. “I was with my mom next door getting tortillas,”

He adjusted his head. “You saw me arrest him?”

“Mhm. And I remember thinking, damn that ass looks good,” She laughed when he pinched her naked hip, pulling her writhing body closer to his. “And I remember how out of place you looked,” 

His brows wrinkled drowsily. 

“Like, you wanted to fit in but couldn’t just walk up and join a conversation, not even with the other Orcs around,” she said plainly, turning and stuffing a pillow under her stomach so she could face him and draw the pad of her thumb back and forth across his chin. 

Stirring those repressed emotions from lonely days made him shift uncomfortably. 

“That was the only time you saw me?” he asked. 

“A few other times here and there, the occasional YouTube video. Not constantly until you started coming into the store though. Otherwise you never would’ve noticed me,” she smiled. 

“Oh I noticed you. If we would’ve bumped into each other during work I probably woulda been fired trying to track you down,” he chuckled. 

“What if you would’ve been cuffing me when we met?”

“Woulda fucked you in the back seat,” he sneered, blocking her hands when she swatted at his face playfully. “Look at us now,” he added lovingly, tracing the curve of her side down to her hip, squeezing as her knee slid up his bare thigh. 

“You fit in the world now,” she said softly. Her caresses had already been beckoning him towards her, electrifying his body that’d seemingly just been spent minutes before. 

“Only cause I found you in it. I couldn’t have kept going without you,”

“No, you got up everyday and did it. You started it and you’re finishing- I’m just here to cheer you on,” she insisted, and he found himself drowning in the sincerity of her balmy caramel eyes as he kissed her, sitting up on an elbow to lean over her deliciously writhing body.

“Still,” he argued, dragging his fingertips from her knee down her inner thigh as they spread, smirking at the soft shake of her whimper. “Everything was because of you.” 

↠

He stood after he finished pulling his Nikes on, returning to their room where she was still sprawled naked across the bed, pillows stuffed around her stomach and limbs with hair fanned around her head like wild vines. 

He peppered kisses across her face until she stirred, her hands finding him. 

“I’m leaving,” Nick finally placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

“Be safe,” she mumbled sleepily, her cheek squished when he gave her another hard one. “I love you,”

“Love you.” He stood straight with a groan, leaving her to melt back into the blankets and pillows as he headed for the front door with his bag in hand. Pucca was given a few messy face rubs when she stretched upwards onto his stomach at the door, and sweetly instructed her to watch over mama while he was away. 

At the precinct, he always parked farther from everyone else. A far corner where no one else preferred to leave their vehicles because of the distance to walk, but after years of people opening their car doors into his and riddling his truck with dents and scratches, he now carried the habit with him everywhere he went unless Callie was tagging along. 

He made idle conversation with a few friendly officers at the front desk who asked how Callie was doing, one of the men who was an impressive father of 6 daughters offering that if he should have a girl, he could have the mountains of hand-me-downs he and his wife didn’t know what to do with. Nick considered it, and would most likely take him up on the offer. He couldn’t be convinced otherwise that they weren’t having a girl at that point. 

Walking into the lockers, he found Sergey, already clad in uniform and tying his boots. His nose scrunched when Nick walked by. 

“You did not shower afterwards?” the young Orc griped. 

“Says the one who came in for a week smelling like a closed room after an orgy,” Nick retorted snootily, rousing a loud chuff from Sergey, but Nick threw one right back at him alongside a cocky grin. 

“Could y’all stop flirting please.” A sour officer commented as he walked by them, smirking to himself. 

But the Orcs had the last laugh when they both chuffed loudly in unison, startling the paler man who turned to glare at their toothy sneers. 

↠

“No listen,” Nick interrupted, holding up his green tea smoothie. “People that go for Chivas are _always_ fucking hot heads,”

“The hell you say!” Sergey defended heatedly. 

“Case in point,” Nick noted, slurping the drink as he sat deeper in the seat, the two waiting for someone to whip around the corner of the street frequented by speeders. 

“Oh shut the fuck up, how does Callie put up with your bullshit?” Sergey lamented, staring at Nick critically. 

“Cause we like the same team,”

“Which is?”

An arrogant smirk was his answer, but it took Sergey a moment to decipher the expression, and it was a long eye roll when it finally clicked. 

“You are _not_ for América,”

“Got an official jersey at home,” Nick boasted, his smug smile from ear to ear. “My baby’s gonna have a little one just like her daddy,”

“You’re a fucking disgrace,” Sergey took a hearty bite of his chicken wrap. “It’s not too late to convert, you know,”

“Callie’s father would murder me if I came over wearing an opposing team's shirt.” 

↠

Their nightshift consisted of a few speeding tickets and nothing more by the time their clock ran out, and they were sat back in the locker rooms, changing from their finely ironed attire. Nick always enjoyed taking the vest off; even upon requesting the next size up when more muscle bulked his form, his dimensions didn’t work well with the constricting material. 

“Take it easy, old man.” Sergey patted his shoulder after he’d finished changing, but Nick only chuckled, finishing pulling off his boots. 

**Your mom wants us there by 11 on sunday** , read the message from Callie, pinhead sized sprinkles falling onto the screen of his phone once outside. Nick dug in his bag for his beanie, slipping it over his head before replying.

**Wear sweats so you can pig out then. my dad's gonna expect your salsas too**

He shoved his hand into the pocket of his shorts, pressing the unlock button on his car keys, but his truck didn’t chirp when he did so. 

Nick stopped once he looked up from his phone. 

The drivers side door was thrown open, the hood popped, and anything inside had been thrown about. Papers, wires, anything that could fit into a compartment was tossed into seats or on the floor, and upon stepping closer, the car seat had also been knocked off its base and was on its side. 

Nick spun, wide eyes glaring over the parking lot, anywhere a head could’ve been secretly watching him. 

Cautiously he approached the truck, leaning to look in the just under the driver's seat. The aluminum bat was still there. Cold flashbacks of being attacked just outside his truck quickened his heart, his hands fisting and ready to swing this time around. 

He leaned farther in- he stopped, stepping back. 

His nostrils flared, second guessing his own ability to identify scents he’d picked up years ago. But this one… it was so distinct. It made his stomach roil uneasily like the first time when he inhaled it all those years ago when he’d draped a heavy blanket over her shoulders, trying to make sense of her jumbling words. 

Hesitantly, he craned forward, taking deliberate breaths. 

Sickly sweet that coated his tongue like syrup. 

It was Tikka. 

More spins, frantically looking, and waiting for her to pop out and stare at him with those lightning blue eyes, but all was quiet in the parking lot besides the thunder of his heart in his ears. 

All the times he’d convinced himself she would never come back- the years and weeks proving that were thrown aside, and he was left standing there in orbiting disbelief, and panic slowly creeping its way into his chest. 

His hands were unsteady when he texted Callie that someone had broken into the truck, but even in his distressed state, he absolutely dreaded making the phone call to Kandomere. 

↠

Side to side he swayed, face hidden in his palms, it being the only thing that was harnessing his irritation. The varying size of the raindrops pelting against him was one thing, but this being the 3rd time he’d gone over every miniscule detail with Kandomere leading up to this incident was close to sending him over the edge, ready to say _fuck it_ and take the truck before his team was done dusting for fingertips and observing for any small evidence. 

“And you found it in disarray?” Kandomere asked again, flipping the small booklet he’d sketched Nick’s statement into. 

“Yes, like the first 30 times I told you,” Nick grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“How’re you so sure it’s her?”

“If you’re going to grill me about the certainty of my sense of smell…” Nick started, but Kandomere’s raised hand stopped him. 

“I’m not, but could you have mistaken it?”

“Not unless by some coincidence someone smells exactly like her, no,” he near hollered, uncaring of the other elves that looked on at Nick’s impatience with disgust. Nick only had loud growls for them, lips pulled back to bare his pointed teeth. 

“Concentrate,” the blue haired elf snapped his fingers, barely fazing Nick. “What else could you have missed? Anything that could’ve been any kind of indication she was nearby?”

Nick’s eyes fluttered as he inhaled; he was seconds away from exploding. “Nothing,”

“Is that certain? Or were you too busy staring off into nothing to bother keeping an alert eye open?” Kandomere asked bitterly, equally annoyed.

“If I wasn’t working today I was balls deep in my girlfriend, and I definitely didn’t see any familiar faces in our bedroom,” Nick snapped back. That silenced the elf, but to what level of discomfort his words caused he couldn’t tell. Enough for him to close his notebook and stuff it into the inner pocket of his pinstripe suit, turning to watch the team continue their inspection. 

Nick glanced at him, stood fixed like marble, and couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with himself. Were raunchy outbursts like that what got him to shut up?

It stirred curiosity; a few times Nick and Daryl had pondered over Kandomere’s personal life, but had ultimately agreed that there was no way anyone could put up with his cold exterior, just as they were certain no one could meet up to the high expectations they assumed he had. At the mention of Nick’s sex life, it seemed to make him further reserved. 

“Shield of Light has gone dark,”

Nick’s head snapped in his direction. “Dark? Like-”

“They’ve disappeared. Headquarters, outposts, recruiters- they’ve all been wiped off the face of the Earth,” Kandomere explained, his sunken eyes tireder than most days. “We can’t find any trace they’ve even existed except for a few bodies that have been scattered across LA,”

That sent an alarming chill down the back of Nick’s neck and through his spine. 

“She’s bringing something with her. I need your full cooperation,” Kandomere stated, but not harshly like he’d had the habit of doing before. There was an air of desperation in his voice, and it got Nick wondering. If they reported to him, who did Kandomere report to? What kind of repercussions did he face when results weren’t yielded?

“You act like we haven’t cooperated in the past,” Nick mumbled, still sour. 

Kandomere nodded, more in the swaying motion of his shoulders before he started turning. “More or less.” 

And he moved away, passing words between the head of the team that was finishing with his truck after a couple hours of intensive inspections. 

They left it with all the doors open, and almost messier than when he’d found it. Scraps of red tape and sterile utensils were discarded inside the truck, fingerprint powder dusted all over the place. The car seat was completely flipped and covered in it. 

Nick huffed, pulling it out and using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe it down. 

He did so bitterly, but when adjusting the small straps, his fingers were gentle as he centered it, and placed it back in it’s base still buckled into the seat. Papers and cords were wound and stacked, placed back in their appropriate compartments, his battery hooked up once again, and thankfully his truck roared to life with only a few sputters. He didn’t want to be stuck here anymore. 

↠

Pucca barked and jumped excitedly behind the door, knocking Nick loose of his immersive thoughts enough to notice the kitchen light was still on. Once in and pushed past his bulldozer of a pitbull jumping almost as high as him, he found Callie leaned against the counter, chewing a banana. 

Immediately, his world stopped spinning as madly, and he could focus on the beauty before him, cloaked in one of his long sleeve thermals that wasn’t loose enough to conceal that impressive belly that held their baby. 

Exhaustion flooded him, and he could let go of the breath he’d unknowingly been holding. 

“You’re still up?” he asked, setting his belongings down. 

“I was worried about you. And I got the munchies,” she said with a cheekful, kissing him after he dragged his feet to her and hung against her loosely. She encircled his broad shoulders when he hid his face against her neck, groaning loudly at the soothing sensation of her hand massaging away the last of his qualms. 

“How’s the truck?” she asked, taking another bite behind his head.

“Nothing was taken,”

“Nothing _to_ take,” 

“Except that $400 car seat,” he mumbled. 

“Must’ve been after electronics then,” she decided, placing her peel down to better hold her clearly agitated companion who was boneless against her, yet felt the slightest of tension in his frame, like he couldn’t fully relax. “Did you have a bad day?”

He nodded, lying. At what point he would tell Callie about what was happening he wasn’t sure, but that night didn’t seem like the right time when so much was still up in the air. If he fessed up, he’d have the same amount of answers for her that Kandomere had. A whole lot of nothing. 

“I have something that’ll make you feel better,” she grinned, and reluctantly peeled himself from her when she pushed back on his shoulders. 

Up came the shirt, stuffed under her bust, and a short pause before she grabbed his hand and rested his fingers flat on the left underside of her belly. He rocked onto one leg when another pause came, but then his eyes shot to hers, meeting her wide grin. 

“Is that…?” he asked, his other hand joining. 

“I thought I was feeling gas all day but they’re little kicks,” she smiled, pulling his hand beside her belly button to follow the soft tapping below his touch. 

He watched, waiting to see if he could catch the visual of the little thumps he felt drumming under his contact, but after he followed the baby’s small steps a full orbit around her stomach, he figured it wasn’t yet big enough to make such an impact. Either way, it left him breathless, and in complete awe. It had always amazed him how far along Callie had come in her pregnancy, but feeling the tiny life prove its existence was overwhelming, and beautiful. 

“What’s it feel like?” he asked, his earlier grievances lightyears away. 

She thought about that for a moment; such a tricky thing to explain. “Sometimes like gas bubbles, but you know when you’re on a roller coaster and your stomach flips during a drop? That’s kind of what these ones feel like,” she explained as best she could. 

“How’d you figure it out?” More kicks, and he could almost cry. 

“Gas eventually comes out,” she chuckled, and he did in return. He took his wide hands to lay flat over her belly, admiring the swirls beneath his touch. 

“Active little thing,” 

“Tell me about it. Got a feeling I’m not gonna be getting too much sleep anymore,” she drawled, and he chuckled sympathetically, pulling her in for a warm hung, his face buried close to her neck. 

“I guess I’m obligated to give you more back rubs then.” he admitted, and she agreed wholeheartedly, rubbing his back as he caressed her entirely, astounded by the miracle she was growing, and already loving so extraordinarily. It brought everything into a more manageable perspective, too, somehow. As he held her, he understood then that he’d deal with Kandomere, and any grueling process to make sure no harm would befall Callie or their baby. If he could keep this bottled, there’d be no overflow. 

He stepped back to hold her belly again as their small miracle danced beneath his palms.

* * *

The worn, battered laptop barely functioned enough to carry on the task of scrambling the lockscreens of the stolen phones, and it took some hard slaps against its surface to even get the program running as the fan spun loudly inside. Most of these phones had been put through the ringer already, many having cracked screens and slow startups, but he’d still carry out the task at hand until something decided to crap out on him. 

He didn’t turn his impressive head of platinum curls when heels approached behind him, instead asking in his lurid voice, “How’d it go?”

A black heel stepped mercilessly on one of the phones, ending it’s ability to assist them any further. 

His lips pulled into a straight line as he calmly detached it and tossed it into the pile of other broken, useless phones. 

“Not good then?” he added, and Tikka opened her bag to drop another handful of phones and a laptop beside him with no regard to their well being. 

“Waste of time,” she remarked vehemently, clopping to an adjacent wall to slide down, her fingers sliding into her long locks that were knotted and tousled around her shoulders. She couldn’t stand to look at the state of her dirty hands, or equally messy clothing, and instead closed her eyes to try and search for any moment of peace she could hold onto. 

“I told you,” he intoned, and was met by lightning blue eyes glaring him down. 

“I assumed they’d still be friends,” she argued, crossing her ankles. Everything on her felt heavy, and dirty. Like she’d become a giant scab. 

“You can be friends and not keep extensive information about one another,” 

“Fero,” she sighed his name, rubbing her palms over her eyes. 

“I’m just saying-”

“You’ve said enough!” she snapped, dazzling fangs flashing. “I don’t want to involve Jakoby anymore than we have to,”

His already curved brow arched upwards. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Her head hit the wall behind her, letting go of a long breath as she said, “He had a baby carrier in his car,”

Fero sucked in air between his equally sharp teeth, his luminescent eyes squinting. “Yikes. Doesn’t the Bright have a daughter?”

She nodded with her face in her hands. “He’s our only choice now. Without him, this whole journey is pointless,”

“If he doesn’t _agree_ then this is all pointless, you mean,” he simpered, but she didn’t look up. Her head remained hung, picking grime from beneath her nails and the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

Fero looked over her, sympathy stirring in his heart at the sight of his emotionally and mentally wounded lover. He left the laptop to finish its task, scooting before Tikka and drawing her hands into his to place sweet kisses across her knuckles. She watched him, unmoving, unable. 

“Why don’t we go into hiding with them?” he asked, again, for the hundredth time. Her eyes rolled back with her head, groaning tiredly. “Why does it have to be us? You say you don’t blame the others for scattering so why don’t we, Tikka? Why should we have left our lives in Brazil for this blind mission?” 

“Because I knew from the beginning there was darkness in Makhel’s heart and I remained silent. It’s my fault so many have died,” she spoke sadly, unable to meet his eyes. 

“It’s not-”

“It is,” she looked up, bringing forth the slightest of her relentlessness. “I thought we would see miracles from this new worlds first Orc Bright but we’ve only seen genocide. I taught him everything he knows. I have to finish this,”

Fero only nodded slowly, dropping his head to her hands cupped in his. Her forehead dropped to his curly locks, the both of them tired, and hungry, and dirty, and scared. Again her eyes closed, searching for the smallest amount of rest she could wrap herself in, but his eyes were trained to the years old leather bag stuffed into the corner of the ratty motel they seeked shelter in, a low hum emitting from it. 

“When we return home, I never want to see a wand again,” he mumbled, and she tittered. 

“I never want to leave home again after this.” 

Tikka didn’t know how well she masked her dread in that statement, but when he nodded in agreeance, she assumed he didn’t catch onto the impending doom she knew was lurking over them. After this- all the battles she’d waged and the ones coming for them in the night, she knew there’d be no returning home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't @ my Chivas 😎 
> 
> OOOOOOOO trouble is stirring in LA again!! slice of life nick and callie are fun to conjure up and write.  
> thanks for reading! i always appreciate feedback 🖤


	6. Loom

Nothing was recognizable, yet he knew he was standing in his backyard. The surrounding bushes and trees kept changing as if their shadows were evolving, but his focus was on cries he heard that seemed to be moving all around him. 

Distant, soft, _newborn_ cries. They quickened his already erratic heart, but turning and trying to scope them out only made his eyes heavier. There was no sun, but looking around felt like he was looking directly at it. 

It was louder now, and he spun, realizing he stood barefoot in the grass outside, but it was warm and soft around his feet. The cries were inside his house. All the windows were dark, the whole world was, like a blackout. 

His legs were so heavy- like trudging through thigh deep water. 

“Callie?” he called, but his voice only carried so far. 

The closer he came, the louder the cries were, but they were fading, as if life was draining from the source. 

“Callie!?” he hollered desperately, stumbling through the backdoor and squeezing through the hallway, narrower than he remembered. 

“Jakoby?”

He was in his room then, and Callie was before him, her back turned and… her knees bowed unnaturally, arms hung at her sides. 

“Cal-”

She folded like a piece of paper against the ground, into a pool of blood that was glowing in the dark room, her stomach torn open. 

His vision was tunneling, and met a pair of ice blue eyes that stared at him like a wolf in the darkness, stalking its prey. But this wolf held a baby in her hands, no longer crying, just as lifeless as his lover across the floor that still looked up at him with wild eyes. 

He couldn’t see it’s face, but the baby bore his color. 

He wanted to see it’s face, but when he looked up, Tikka was staring at him with pleading eyes, her fingers digging into the soft underside of his slain child. 

“Jakoby?”

 

The sound he made was nowhere near any comprehensible word, more of a forlorn holler to end what he was seeing as he lurched forward, his arm pulling harshly from under Callie’s head. His peeled eyes jumped frantically, grounding himself, realizing he was in his room, but the world wasn’t as dark, nor were there cries of his…

_A nightmare_. 

This dawned on him, and he leaned forward, head hung in his hands as he struggled to slow his heaving breaths. 

“Baby?” Callie rose sleepily, uncaring of the thin sheet of sweat covering him as she reached around his wide shoulders, the other around his waist and a sweet kiss lingering on his shoulder. She couldn’t tell if he was simply settling his breathing or actually stifling cries what with his face hidden like that, but either way, it wouldn’t loosen the hold she had on him. 

“You haven’t had one in a while,” softly she recalled, the touch across his back further calming him. When it ran the length of the back of his neck, he finally looked at her, but immediately his vision flickered down to her pregnant belly bared in only a sports bra. 

_Still there_. 

“I’m sorry,” he atoned, but a shake of her head tousling her long hair and a few kisses to his cheek silenced any of that. 

With a soft tug, she pulled his upper half partly over so his head rested under her chin, her caress across his shoulder blades relaxing every fiber of muscle in his rigid body until he was boneless, and counting the kicks he felt beneath his palm where his hand rested. 

“Woke ‘em up, too,” he graveled, curling the crook of his elbow around her belly protectively. 

“Gotta put it back to sleep now.” she barely mumbled, the grazes of her hand slowing. 

He knew it was pointless, but he still rubbed her stomach gently, even humming the tune of an Opeth song. The fresh sting of angry tears still pricked the back of his eyes, just as the strong hiccup of a whimper fought to crawl up his throat, but he forced them both down, veering all his attention to the small life still kicking inside her. 

With Pucca circling a few times behind the bend of his knees and his thoughts muddling, he allowed a few fearful tears to pass onto her. Get it out, then get on with it.

* * *

It couldn’t have been more than 5 minutes he was awake the night before, but Nick still wandered around yawning repeatedly, bumping into the entrance of the bathroom as he checked on Callie. 

“Any better?” he asked, rubbing an eye. She was scrubbing her teeth again, tired eyes meeting his in the mirror. They were red and puffy, her nose a little blushed too. 

She spat, and stood straight with a frown. “It hates me today,” 

“The hormones do,” he shrugged. She groaned, pulling her hair loose of it’s bun to fashion it into a neater ponytail. She scratched at the growing hair of her undercut, her other fingers flying to press against her lips. 

He cringed, waiting… and there she went, kneeling back before the toilet, but her gut had voided anything left the previous 2 times. 

“Zofran?” he asked, and she nodded before dry heaving again, tears slipping down her cheeks and spine bowing. 

“Text your mom-” another heave from inside the bathroom as he dug through her bag. “We might be a while,” she groaned. He nodded, unable to find the small packet she kept her nausea medicine in. “I can’t eat the food,” she whined, sniffling, and by the sound of it, her face was hung in the toilet. He flipped her purse and angrily shook it, depositing its insides out across the tables surface. 

_Why does she carry so much shit-_ ah, there it is! 

Nick was already ripping the aluminum square and pressing the tablet into his palm as he retrieved cold water for her, wide stepping his way back to the bathroom. 

“It’s gonna make me vomit,” she moaned, shakily. 

“Just throw it back,” he reasoned, and Callie looked up at him with swollen eyes, reluctantly raising a palm so he could hand off the pill. 

Her eyes pinched shut as soon as the ‘strawberry’ flavored dissolvable pill coated her tongue, and with grabbing fingers she reached for the water, daring only a mouthful. 

She shook her head, her mouth flapping. “Shits awful,”

“Always works though,” he grunted, sitting on the tiled floor before her just as Pucca had trotted in to see what all the commotion was about. 

Sparse words were passed between them as they waited for the medicine to do its job, and thankfully the vicious nausea rested, and she felt comfortable enough closing the toilet beside her. It seemed she couldn’t go more than a few days at a time without the morning sickness carrying on the entirety of a day, even as far along as she was. Same went for the headaches that sometimes kept her in bed and the needles she felt unsettling her legs when she tried to sleep at night.

“Itchy nipples are the worst of it all,” Callie rasped, clearing her throat. 

“Just scratch them,” 

“Easier to do when your boobs don’t feel like they’re about to pop when you touch them,” she mumbled, eyeing him with colder of a glare than usual. It was her _‘shut up Nick’_ look she’d mastered when he tried weighing in on her pregnancy without any personal experience to back him up. 

He gritted his teeth together, his hand pinned under Pucca’s chin. “I like your pregger boobs,”

She tried to narrow her eyes, but a snort forced its way up, then a constricted smile. “Shut up,”

“Your automatic floaties,” he added, flinching when she leaned forward over her stomach to swipe at him. A few failed attempts yielded her efforts to beat him, but still gladly accepted his help after he’d stood and offered his hands to her. 

“Still wanna go?” he asked.

“Of course. I need to brush my teeth again though,” she sighed, turning back to the sink. A quick kiss against her hair before he left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen to gather the salsas she’d made for the party. One bowl of salsa verde and an even bigger one of the red, the very kind that made him burn up just looking at it. It’s blood like hue and shimmering oil that pooled around the edges meant it was hot as shit, just how he liked it, even if he’d regret it later on. 

“Is this my dads present?” he called, and she giggled, coming into the kitchen as she finished putting in a simple pair of studded earrings. 

“No but it should be, huh?” she grinned, her hands twisted to hold against her back once finished. 

He’d never say it out loud, but all he wanted to do was cuddle and tell her how big and cute she looked, especially wearing tighter shirts that showed her belly button that had started to pop a little bit. Damn his hands being full- he wanted a photo of her stood like that, a half smile on her ashen face. Her color would return soon- more than 10 minutes without her face in the bowl would do her good. 

“Okay,” Nick looped his father's gift on a finger. “Ready?”

“Yep,” she answered, unhooking Pucca’s leash and harness from the wall. “C’mere mamas, ven! Ven!”

The pitbull had already been wiggling uncontrollably as soon as Callie had reached for the harness, and approaching her with it only made her the more squirmy, her tubby little body running circles around Callie’s legs. 

“Careful-”

Too late. 

With a fast charge from Pucca from behind, Callie went tumbling sideways, bouncing and rolling a little bit once on the carpet. 

“PUCCA.” Nick boomed, the salsa almost spilled in his haste to set it on the counter and make it to Callie’s side, but she was laughing lowly.

“I’m okay,” she giggled, completely lifted by Nick’s arms around her. “Nick I’m _fine_ ,” she insisted, but he was patting all over her, especially her stomach that hadn’t even bumped anything in her fall from grace. There was still an angry chuff when he spun, enraged, amber eyes searching until he found Pucca laid flat on the ground, cowering beside the TV. 

“Dumb brat,” he growled, stomping over to her. She army crawled towards him, chin flat to the ground and big eyes looking up. 

A harsh smack made contact against her bottom, and Callie frowned, leaning back into her hands once again. 

“No! You know better lat pa-gog beaukav!” he scolded harshly, even though Pucca had rolled onto her back and was ‘smiling’ up at him, her eyes squinted. 

“Baby,” He turned, meeting Callie’s knowing look. “I’m fine,”

“You could’ve fallen forward,” he argued, but she patted his back as she passed to Pucca. 

“That’s why I have hands to catch myself,”

The dog was much calmer this time around, cowering near Nick once her harness was buckled, but her tail wagged just as wildly when trotting to the front door. A low chuff made her flinch as she moved by him, though. Still, she tugged on the leash Callie wound around her wrist after slipping her Chucks on. 

“I swear if she drags you across the ground-” he warned while grabbing the bowls of salsa. Just thinking of that… it made his stomach churn. The after effects of a very vivid nightmare still left him jumpy.

“I got her, I got her.” Callie insisted, leaning back into Pucca’s relentless tugging as soon as the front door opened. A low grumble of disapproval was all she got in return however, but they were off, walking across the lawn towards the truck with Pucca bounding excitedly. She at least could jump into the bed herself when Callie dropped the gate, and once secured, she beelined for Nick. 

With his hands full, he couldn’t stop her from slipping her hand down his pocket to grab his keys. For a moment there he almost thought she was grabbing for something else…

Instead, she strolled happily to the drivers side, now having mastered how to hoist herself and her protruding belly up into the high seats without too much difficulty. When she started adjusting his seat and mirrors, it reminded him how useful another car would be, especially when the baby arrived. He couldn’t leave her stranded at home in case anything happened, and… it got kind of obnoxious squeezing into his seat after she’d use the truck. Her legs were just so short, though. 

“Don’t you start huffin’ at me,” she grinned, earning another low growl that dragged on as he wiggled his shoulders into the passenger seat stubbornly. “I can drive until my stomach hits the wheel,”

“Even then you’ll be too stubborn to stop,”

“Might just pop it out behind the wheel if you keep bein’ so snippy.” she murmured, turning to back the truck out of the driveway. A quick pinch of her knee made her yelp, and halted her teasing. 

Nick would snap his fingers loudly when Pucca started to bark at people who baby talked the pretty pitbull from their cars, more worried about people assuming she was a vicious dog instead of a big chunk of meat that was afraid of flies, but she’d hush when the truck started moving, hanging her head over the side so her mouth inflated with the air rushing past them. 

By the time they turned onto the quiet street Nick’s parents lived on, Callie’s nausea had about finished it’s rampage, though she still cautioned herself to not eat much. Vomiting in front of Nick’s extended family would ensure never showing her face around them again. 

“It’s not like they’d tease you about it,” he reminded her, but she shrugged. 

“It’s still embarrassing to retch in the bathroom with so much family around,” she explained as she turned the last corner, and Pucca started whining excitedly. 

Nick’s ears flickered, his lips pursing. “Saying you’re embarrassed to carry my child?”

“Oh shut up,” she chuckled, smacking his thigh. By the time they’d found parking on the street filled with the other cars, Pucca was near fighting her harness in attempts to bolt to the front door, already barking at the pitbull his parents owned. 

Callie didn’t even have to hold her leash; she knew where to run to find her sister as soon as the gate was dropped and the leash was unhooked. Off she went, shooting across the yard and scratching at the front door. 

Nick made it around the truck just as Callie had wavered a little, blinking away the dizzy spell. An arm around her back steadied her. 

“You gotta stop jumping down like that,” he implored, hesitant to release his hold from her. 

“Force of habit,” she frowned, back to herself. “I can carry one of those,”

“Oh yeah _you_ take the gift so they’re nicer to you,” he drawled sarcastically, locking the truck twice. 

“I wouldn’t need to- they like me more anyways.” she beamed mischievously, hissing when he smacked her ass harshly before they crossed the street. 

They pushed and teased one another with secretive words as they walked, stopping their naughty comments when Oleg opened the front door to greet Pucca, then standing straight with open arms for Callie. 

“Happy birthday!” Callie smiled, receiving a monstrous hug and even being lifted off her feet a couple inches. 

“Thank you, my little bean,” he grinned, always patting her cheek before moving onto hug Nick. 

“Mausan lovepak,” Dinara keened lovingly, meeting Callie next for a tight hug and always the same questions: _are you hungry, are you tired- how’re you feeling?_ before she held the sides of her belly, face scrunched in affection. “Nalkren'uk avhe faushnu?”

“It’s good, Ma,” Nick answered, finally finding space to slip through the door. 

“Oh your back must be hurting,” Dinara sucked her teeth, pulling Callie gently along. “Ukmall- grab that tea on the counter?” she directed to Nick just as he’d been walking out, only to spin on his heel and go back. 

“I can’t drink sweet tea, I’ve been nauseous all morning,” Callie groaned, stopping often as multitudes of Orcs greeted her with hugs or quick kisses on the cheeks, some of them patting her stomach which in turn made her a little anxious. 

Had she not had such a miserable morning it would’ve been easier to handle, but the slightest bump or touch made her woozy. 

“Nick told me so. It’s Crescent tea, it’ll calm that little one down,” she winked at Callie. “Agh! All of you, stop! Let her find a seat!” she barked at the hovering hands and swiped a few away as Callie chuckled, waddling after Dinara as they made their way to the backyard where there was more seats and less Orcs to bump into. 

It was cooler outside compared to the stuffy heat that hovered in the house from all the food cooking in the oven and stove top, relieving some of her discomfort. Pucca was bolting and bounding playfully with her sister Sunu; another Merle pitbull that Nick hadn’t had the heart to leave behind when he’d first picked Pucca from the litter. Good thing his parents wanted a dog, too. Orc toddlers and kids ran circles around the lively dogs with bubble wands while a few teenagers sat around the edge of the yard where they’d dragged over chairs, their eyes mainly glued to their phones. Laughter still floated between them as they shared memes, however. 

Now that Callie was sat beside the long table littered with food and a few family members here and there, it was easier to let curious hands rest over her stomach as they eagerly wanted to feel the baby move. Mostly Nick’s aunts and cousins who all shared their advice about Orkish babies. 

From techniques to jump start labor, to help with labor recovery, all the way to teething that apparently started much earlier for Orcs than it did for humans, Callie drank it all in, storing the information for later. She knew how to handle human babies, but Orcs? Even halflings? She was out of her depth. 

Once the hands had stopped reaching and most of the extended families questions had been answered, it gave Callie the opportunity to answer Dinara’s burning questions about the return visit only a couple days prior. 

“I didn’t think it’d be like human pregnancy,” Dinara restated, and Callie nodded in agreement. “So when’s the new due date?” 

“Late July,” 

Dinara’s hairless brow cocked. “ _Late_ July?”

“They still don’t know if the growth rate will be consistent,” Callie explained, and Nick’s mother’s eyes partly rolled in exaggerated humor. 

“You’d think they’d be able to at least give you a rough date instead of the later half of an entire month,” she huffed as she stood, patting Callie’s shoulder as she walked back into her house. 

Callie nodded indifferently. _She has a point_. 

A few more family members sat at the table with Callie, curiously asking how she’d been doing so far and about everyday life, all of them equally excited and surprised that Nick was finally settling down. He’d been known as the loner of the family for years, not only for his relationship status, but to also be the only one without siblings, so it shocked most of them that he’d ended up with a human, no less. 

“It’s because he had no siblings that he chose a human,” a low voice came, pulling Callie and one of his aunts attention away from their conversation. 

“Say it louder, Ghorza,” the aunt, Yotul, who Callie had been talking to snapped, her brighter than normal eyes glaring at the chubbier aunt across the table sat beside her bigger husband. 

Ghorza’s painted, crooked eyebrows pinched together in discomfort, but she squared her narrow shoulders. “He didn’t learn to stay with his own kind. First joining the humans at the LAPD and now that,” she motioned towards Callie’s stomach. 

Though her hard expression was set in stone, Callie’s confidence faltered a little. Her foot started tapping under the table. 

Words were passed between the aunts bitterly, but Callie understood little to none of the swift Orkish lashing off their tongues. Her arms crossed, more so over her stomach she now wanted to shield from anyone's gaze. 

“What’s going on?” Nick asked, appearing from behind with a couple plates in hand along with the tea. Other family had held him up with conversation up until that point. She hadn’t been aware of the tension in her frame until she exhaled at the sight of her lover, scooting her chair closer to his. All at once, she wanted to hide against his chest, but she had to stand her ground, even if it was silently. 

As hard as it could be now, it would only get harder once she had a halfling on her hip. Moms were already judged critically for anything and everything; she had to start developing that thicker skin to withstand the criticisms from both sides. 

“Your auntie says you two are wrong for having a baby,” Yotul exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few other family members that had sat at the table. A low murmur of disapproval floated around, all aimed at the aunt who tried to keep her protruding chin lifted confidently. 

“Not the first time we’ve heard that,” Callie mumbled. Nick looked at her at first with a grin, but the way her knee was swaying back and forth told him everything. A hand on her thigh brought her attention to him, lessening the intensity of her angry eyes. 

“You act like it’ll be some great burden to the family. It will be no different from the other children we all have,” an Uncle of Nick’s piped in, reaching over his shoulder to grab for some of the baked chips before them. 

Ghorza scoffed belittlingly. “Crossover children are bred to be mischief,”

“Wow, you sounded human there,” came a more timid voice. Beside Nick was sat his younger cousin, only a teenager, but from what Oleg had told them had always looked up to Nick as a mentor. It was because of Nick that this young boy, Adrik, was pursuing his dream of being a fireman. 

Nick chuckled, bumping his arm. 

The older Orc that had been beside Ghorza shook his head, his jowls shaking. “You bring disgrace to your family,” he muttered, his gravelly voice unsettling Callie further alongside a cold glare he shot her way. 

“He’s done no such thing,” Oleg appeared from the other side of the yard with a plate stacked with grilled fish. “Leave if you’re going to be a sourpuss- it’s my _birthday_ ,” he stated dramatically, a hand on his chest in false exasperation and winking at Nick and Callie. 

“If everyone can share their opinions than why can’t we? We were your family first,” Ghorza leaned in, eyeing Nick like he was a child being reminded of his lower status. But he wasn’t. He was a grown man, and had been taught by Callie, no less, to let go of whoever wasn’t in his corner. 

“Not to my baby you won’t be,” Nick grinned, his clubmasters masking his squinted eyes, patting Callie’s thigh for added point. 

Though Callie’s lip barely curled in a small grin, her heart soared. She was so proud of him. 

“And don’t you go picking on my daughter-in-law again or we’ll bring up your little altercation with the police, eh?” Oleg smiled, waggling his hairless brows, and effectively ruffling Ghorza and her husbands feathers who in turn chuffed loudly at his brother. 

“Ahh, I bet Nick knows all about that!” a different family member pushed in, stirring low laughter across the table as Nick nodded. He did, in fact, know about the forged checks his salty aunt had written in his grandfather's name. 

Callie hid her smile behind her mug as the pair stood bitterly and moved into the house, two more cousins taking their spots with plates full of food. 

“I’m sorry,” Nick intoned, but she shrugged. 

“It’s not like you haven’t dealt with the same thing,” she partly grinned now. “I didn’t think she could dislike me anymore than before,”

“Don’t listen to her, she’s mad she didn’t stay thin like you when she was pregnant,” 

This time it was Zaza who’d laughed that, Nick’s cousin who was the same age and who frequented the bank Callie worked at for her own job. Her brilliant patterning always entranced Callie; like a fairy had drawn intricate designs across her face and shoulders that showed beneath the lovely, baby blue blouse she wore.

“And that all her girls can’t stand her,” a longtime family friend said between Nick and Callie, leaning down to hug around Nick’s broad shoulders. He hugged her back awkwardly. “I haven’t seen you since you came into your celebrity status,” Jez teased, but Nick snorted. 

“I was never a celebrity,” he corrected, petting Pucca when she came to rest her head in his lap, panting loudly. 

“Says the one with the groupies,” someone called from across the table, igniting a small storm of laughter. 

“I do _not_ ,” he griped. 

“You do, actually,” Callie piped in. “I always get girls and guys on Instagram commenting about how they wish they had their own big Orc daddy in uniform for themselves,” 

His family exploded with teasing, effectively heating Nick’s ears and setting off a light flush across his cheeks as he attempted to hide behind his drink and nervous chewing. When they insisted on seeing the photos, Callie had mercy and only showed them the _mild_ ones, like the shot of them standing before their bathroom mirror and Callie flexing pitifully with a barely visible baby bump with Nick’s impressive arms flexed beside her, his chest and stomach chiseled with muscle he’d committed some great time to building up. 

“Put that away,” Nick tried grabbing for the phone, chuffing in embarrassment as Callie smiled at him with her tongue between her teeth. 

“This is also why your auntie is mad- you have a flat belly and Uram’s gut hits her while they fuck.” Ushug, another uncle basically yelled, stirring another round of loud laughter from everyone. 

Most of the teasing died down after that, mostly due in part to Callie nearly peeing her pants as she struggled to stifle strong giggles, proving all the more difficult when Nick playfully leaned away so she couldn’t hide behind his shoulder. 

Soon after, more food covered the table once Dinara and her brother had finished inside, effectively drawing the last of the scattered family together to eat. Fish and chicken and veggies were piled high, as well as bowl after bowl of hearty sides and snacks, more than enough to feed all Orcs hungrily grabbing for their share and still have some left for seconds and leftovers. 

Callie had originally said she wouldn’t eat, but the scents wafting from the fish and roasted potatoes and spiced macaroni was too much to resist, and soon her stomach, and the somersaulting one inside her was demanding a plate that Dinara stacked, even when Nick insisted she not eat the fish. 

“Do you think I'd give her something that was bad for her and the baby?” Dinara snapped at her son, glaring down at him coldly, effectively silencing his protests. His mouth was in a straight line, low growls emitting from him until his mother smacked his shoulder. 

Callie chewed the grilled Tilapia purposely, smiling at Nick when he glared before pinching above her knee again. 

She still asked Nick to fill her plate when she was too bashful to slop seconds onto it, but let him place chicken on the plate instead of fish the second time around. 

“I’ll just take some home for later then,” she teased, narrowing his eyes. 

Amusing conversation floated between everyone, all of them taking shots at one another in teasing manners or just gossiping, but none of it was ill spirited. Nick’s entire family, including a few humans that made up long time friends and distant relatives he saw only once in a blue moon were close knit, and Callie’s earlier worry that any more of them disliking her based entirely on the fact their Nick had knocked-up a human dwindled further with every kind smile and genuine interest in their soon to be newborn. 

A few toddlers and younger ones came up to her curiously, inquisitive eyes trained to her as they inquired about how it felt, how it was happening, and how it had happened. That made Nick almost spit his drink, and in turn earned him a few low teases from the childrens mothers who insisted ‘Uncle Nick’ give them an honest answer. Soft touches over her stomach to feel the little one’s strong kicks fluttered about from their tiny hands, most of them flinching and giggling when there was a particularly energetic bump. 

Once the little ones had ran off, Callie tried helping Dinara pick up the scattered plates, cups and napkins, but insisted the expecting mother sit down and get off her feet- _everyone_ did, but Callie waved her hands and still stacked and picked. That was until she moved beside Nick and he turned his chair to pull her into his lap, an arm kept under her bust and hand on her thigh so she couldn’t escape despite a few shoves against his chest.

Both Nick and Dinara glared stubbornly as she did, and it was only because she was outnumbered that she stayed put, Nick’s toned thighs much easier on her butt than the stiff wooden seats that had started aggravating her achy back. 

“So when are you gonna tell us what the gender is?” Oleg called from the head of the table, rubbing his hands together with glee. 

“When it’s born,” Callie answered, and the table collectively groaned. 

“Why wait?” an aunt inquired. 

“Yeah why wait?” Nick suddenly said, looking up at her from over his clubmasters as he stuffed a towered chip into his mouth. 

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Callie pushed against his cheek, interrupting his efforts to consume his mile high stacked chip.

“I’m getting impatient,” he paused to suck salsa off his thumb. “I already know it’s gonna be a girl,”

The table again agreed mutually, noting that Nick and two others were the only boys out of the 20 present. 

“Ask Laka! He always knows,” someone announced just as Nick’s quiet uncle from his mother's side had walked by with his plate. Laka was a towering Orc with the muscle mass to match his intimidating demeanor, not the mention the chipped tusk and blind eye that aided his menacing features, but the few times Callie had interacted with him in the past was always pleasant, and the least bit frightening once he started talking. 

“Oh just ask what position she was in when it happened,” someone said from afar, stirring more laughter. 

“Was it doggy? Girls are always doggy,” Hanra, another cousin with a dazzling smile and golden tusks asked Callie outright, but she was hiding behind her hands, stifling flustered giggles as Nick stuffed more food in his mouth to avoid revealing their secret. 

“Nooo just ask Laka! C’mon, tell her- it’s gonna be a girl, isn’t it?” Zaza came up beside Laka, leaning over to watch. 

Nick’s uncle stepped beside Callie to look down at her thoughtfully, head tilted as his good eye observed her entire form. A large hand calmly moved into her space, his fingers barely pressing against her stomach for a chaste encounter before withdrawing again. 

“It’s a boy,” he said, his deep voice soft, yet confident in his decision. 

The table erupted with arguing and shaking heads. 

“He’s lost his touch. It’s going to be a girl, ukmall,” Dinara eyed Nick knowingly, sitting down beside her stuffed husband who still accepted a piece of cake happily from her. 

Laka patted Callie’s shoulder before moving away to grab more food, and she forced down a wide smile. For months she’d only heard ‘girl this, girl that’, so to finally have someone else in her corner after secretly hoping for a boy… it left her hopeful, even if there was no surefire way to know outside of a doctors office. 

“Either way,” Oleg forced out through his full mouth, making Dinara cringe. “You have to pick names,”

“We have a name for a boy picked,” Nick said nonchalantly, despite everyone silencing enough to lean in. 

“I swear if you two keep that a surprise too,” Dinara said through clenched jaws, looking at the pair with heated eyes.

Nick looked up at Callie, smirking. 

“Leo Makar,” she said, delicately, another stir in her stomach affirming how much she adored the name they’d brought together. There were no disputes this time, but instead a collective hum of approval from everyone. 

“And for a girl?”

“I like Veronika,” Nick stated, releasing his hold on Callie when she rose to use the bathroom. 

“And Renata!” she called before entering the house, and he nodded in agreeance. Those names were met with a little more resistance, but not enough for Nick to be swayed in the slightest. The conversation finally rotated from them, back to private conversations between Orcs sat beside one another. 

Laka came back around, sitting down on Nick’s other side once the chair was abandoned. 

“How’d you figure it’s gonna be a boy?” Nick asked curiously, knowing full well his uncle really had never been wrong in his predictions. 

At first he shrugged, but then explained, “Girls take more from their mothers than boys. Calista’s color is still good on her.” He solely stated, nodding at his own words before concentrating on his food. 

Nick’s eyes slowly pulled away, chewing mindlessly on a piece of root that felt pleasant between his sharp molars. There was no real preference for Nick; he adored the thought of having a little girl on his hip just as much as a rambunctious boy following him around everywhere. His thoughts took him on a small stroll away from the loud chattering around him, to a multitude of scenarios, all displaying the countless possibilities his future awaited with their first child. 

↠

Fero couldn’t help but turn over his shoulder every time she did, only to reveal again that no one was following them down the slumbering street. The only thing that would’ve given them away was the way the streetlights flickered above them when they passed, or the ridiculously shifty appearance her long trench coat and hood gave off. 

He glanced at her, clearing his throat. “You’re making yourself more obvious,”

Tikka didn’t answer, and instead kept walking briskly across the wet sidewalk. 

“MTF-”

“I’m not worried about MTF. I’m worried about Makhel,” she mumbled, again looking over her shoulder. 

“I doubt he’ll be walking down a neighborhood like this anytime soon,” he chuckled, fingers running over the tops of cars they passed. 

“You say that like he didn’t find and completely destroy the motel we were just in,” she hissed through her sharp teeth, flinching towards him to make him flinch back. “He destroyed _everything_ ,”

Fero straightened his jacket. “We didn’t need any of it anyways,”

“We needed cover. We needed to not be in the open like this,” 

“We’ll find somewhere else,” he assured, his tone betraying his attempts to comfort her. He wasn’t entirely sure of his own statement, either. There was a short distance of silence between them, listening to the thick heels of her boots against the concrete as they walked briskly. “Rania is with him,”

Tikka’s head shook. A short beat of silence. “I don’t think she went willingly,”

“She’s half Orc-”

“That doesn’t make her any less of a Bright,” Tikka spun, fury whipping like wild flames in her striking eyes. “She’s a damaged girl and he understood that pain. She’s not wrong for staying with him,”

The ire radiating off her locked frame kept him still, nearly pressed against a car they’d stopped beside, and she didn’t budge until he nodded stiffly. He exhaled when she turned to continue down the sidewalk, and kept a safe distance between them with his mouth shut. 

Tikka pulled a scorched paystub from her pocket, glancing at a house she paused before. Wrong one. She moved further down the sidewalk, coming to one with a long front yard and bamboo shades rolled up above the porch, lush green plants lining the yarn below the front windows. Another glance at the paper- this was it. 

Fero stood close beside her, both of them staring at the dark windows of the home. 

“Are you gonna go up?” he asked softly, and her expressionless face turned to him. 

“You think I can walk up and just knock on his door?” she mocked, and he fumbled over words before simply exhaling, looking back at the house. 

“Are we just going to stand here until he finds us then?” he bit back, ready to stand his ground when she turned on her heel towards him again. 

Approaching headlights demanded their attention however, and Fero had pulled Tikka with him to duck behind a car just as the truck pulled into the driveway, a pitbull rising from the bed to trot towards the gate. Tikka looked around Fero’s shoulder as Nick stepped from the truck, stretching back on his heels with a loud groan they could hear from across the yard before closing the door and walking to let the dog from the bed. It ran across the yard, circling near the bushes as the Orc she once spent a dangerous night with walked around the other side. 

“Is that him?” Fero whispered, and she nodded. 

That’s when she saw her. 

They came from around the front, waddling beside Nick as he carried bags, both of them smiling and talking. She was the reason for the carseat Tikka had noticed in his truck; she knew this when she detailed the distended state of her belly, and the way she walked with a hand placed protectively over it. 

Nick had grown even more from the man she thought he was. 

“He looks different,” she whispered, taking in his puffed chest and raised chin, so proud as he walked beside his nameless lover. 

“Shh!” Fero pulled her back more when the pitbull started barking in their direction, stood alertly at the center of the yard. 

 

“Pucca! Ven aqui!” Callie called, continuing onto the front door as Nick stopped to watch her. 

But she went on barking rapidly, the fur on her back standing as he approached her. It offset him immensely, but it was too windy to pick up on anything that might’ve been there when he scented the air. His nocturnal vision saw only familiar shapes of cars, his hearing alerting to nothing. Regardless, it spooked him. 

“C’mon girl,” he urged, but she only glanced up at him, turning to bark again. “Pucca!” 

Stubbornly she backed up, whining before trotting beside Nick, nervously circling around his legs as she snuck in quieter barks at the street. She only silenced after the door closed behind them and could no longer rile herself up. 

“Chill, weirdo.” Nick mumbled, moving to the kitchen. 

 

Tikka remained crouched even when Fero stood, looking down at her expectantly. Still, she remained, bright eyes trained on the house now occupied. 

“So what’re we doing?” he asked, hands on his slim hips.

“I can’t find Ward without him,” she said softly, reminding herself more than anything. 

“So let’s-”

“He has a pregnant wife,” Her tone was matter-of-fact, a little perplexed he didn’t seem to understand the severity of Nick’s situation or his involvement moving forward. 

“With a human, no less,” Fero shuddered. 

When she rose, he came face to face with a deep fury rumbling in her heart; one that showed no amount of love for him could stop her from whipping out the wand carried preciously against her side and slaughtering him. He wasn’t her lover in that moment. He was someone who had crossed a Bright, and she resembled her sister like no other time than in those seconds that passed like hours. 

“When you say things like that, I don’t blame Makhel for what he’s done.” 

Tikka didn’t wait for him to respond, nor did she wait for him to follow as she made her way back down the street. For the time being, she didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say. Too many times she’d let his bitter remarks slide, but no more. Her heart couldn’t take much more of it. 

 

A harsh breath expelled from him as he flopped into the couch, stretching pleasantly once he’d kicked off his shoes and pulled his sweatshirt up over his head, leaving him in a black muscle shirt and sweats. The chill lingering in the house sent goosebumps across his skin, but the deep cushions would warm him soon enough. Nick loved his entire family endlessly, but sitting in the silence of his own home was pleasing after such a lively day.

A wide yawn with another stretch later, and he was sure he could sleep in that very spot. The smallest of light was coming in from the kitchen, just enough to let him see Pucca settling into her bed by the hall, circling in the center before hanging half off the plush pillow. 

Softly he snorted, gaze moving up to Callie when she sauntered from the bathroom, her tights hung over her arm. Her baseball T was gone too, donning only a maternity camisole and panties that showed more of that ass she’d put on. 

Nick squinted past a smirk, twisting to better watch her go about organizing loose mail on their table, pushing in a crooked chair, swaying side to side with a hand against the crook of her spine as she overlooked some of the papers already torn from envelopes. 

“Used less water this month. I’m gonna keep doing laundry at night,” she called back, but he only hummed, eyes kept on her peacefully. 

How had he ever stood the emptiness of his home without her?

The bills were stacked and left on the table top, and she turned, a chair bearing the weight from her hand and the other holding her baby bulge as she met his gaze. 

“I ate too much,” she softly confided, and he chuckled. 

“Me too,” 

“You gonna call it a night?” she asked, walking over to lay down beside him with a pleased exhale, her legs stretching across his lap.

Nick shrugged, squeezing between her body and the couch to rest his cheek over her stomach. “Lemme hold my baby,” he said behind a kiss, an arm draped over her thighs.

“You mean your son?” she bargained, and her smile grew wider as his brow arched higher once he looked up at her. 

“Possessed with the thought now?” 

“Convinced,” she corrected, rubbing his head as he adjusted his hold around her. The soft rumbling of purrs started soon after her nails drew designs across the back of his neck, a digit venturing to trace the shell of his ear. His big shoulders shimmied, and Callie giggled. 

“I wanna know the gender,”

Big golden eyes found her bewildered ones, his chin resting under her bust. 

“Really? Your family got to you?” she asked in disbelief, but Nick only shrugged. 

“I wanna know if we’re having a Leo or a Veronika,” he confessed, fingers drumming. 

“Or a Renata,” she added reluctantly, pulling her thigh up from under him. “What if I never got pregnant again and we don’t have the chance to keep it a surprise?” 

“Do you know how many of my aunts wanna throw you a baby shower?” he grinned, eventually getting one out of her.

“So does Rosie,” she revealed, already feeling her formerly resilient stance on this subject wavering the longer she gazed down at his pout. Nick never used this face, choosing to save it for rare occasions knowing it was her undoing. 

In defeat, she dropped her head back. “I’ll think about it,”

“Good,” he settled, unwilling to push his luck any further. A glance downwards caught sight of his toothy grin, but swinging her knee into his chest to knock it from his face did little when he caught her blow, his hand placed appealingly farther inwards.

She licked her lips, her other foot sliding off the edge of the couch. 

He masked his inching in soft caresses, closer to her center now. 

“I gotta get up early tomorrow,” she muttered, her breath heavying involuntarily. 

She could feel his chest expand rapidly; he was scenting her. Nick swallowed and lapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth, relishing in the warm spice that was already coming off of her. It heavied his eyes immediately. 

“We should go to bed soon then,” he replied gruffly, the back of his nails dragging side to side along the edge of her panties that sat at the crook of her inner thigh. She twisted ever so slightly beside him, already impatient. 

“Soon,” she agreed, and her breath hitched when Nick’s featherlight touch traced her lips, up and down over her panties, craning his neck to look up at her. “Later,” she corrected, whining. 

“You have stuff to do?” he smirked, and her expression was pure agony. “Say it,” he puffed, pulling up against his elbow so his face was before hers, his fingers still barely any pressure. 

“Touch me,” came out in a harsh breath, her hips rising, awkwardly at that with her belly in the way. 

“Again,” he groaned, licking the nipple that was barely poking out from under her camisole. Her breasts had swelled beautifully since pregnancy set in.

“Touch me, _please_ ,”

His lips found hers in time to smother a delicious moan just as his hand slid under the panties and between her lips, pebbling her soaked clit with his middle finger. Her kisses were messy, her grip on his face weak as he ground his palm in wide circles while his fingertips prodded her entrance. 

“You’re cruel,” she gnarled, face tightening in anger when rocking her hips did little to get him in, but Nick’s crooked grin was devious, and _sexy_. Goosebumps cascaded down her inner thighs, her knee rising to hook over his thigh. 

“Stop teasing-” he found his way deeper into her camisole, his tongue swirling around a hard nipple. “C’mon,”

“Hm?” he pretended not to hear, drawing wide circles around her clit, resisting a moan himself; she was so warm- it made him feverish thinking of sinking into her.

She exhaled angrily, her entire body bowing under him. But his touch still evaded her entrance. 

“Baby please,” she grabbed his face, bringing his gaze to hers. A soft kiss, and he groaned, sitting farther up over her. “Inside me,” she sighed, her tongue finding his momentarily. “Make me scream,”

Nick chuffed, pushing his tongue in her mouth for a heated kiss just as he pushed his middle two fingers in, her body tensing in the most languid of fashions. His eager mouth fell to her neck as she bowed, her own hand resting over his to feel how he finger fucked her.

“Keep moving like that,” he growled, pumping his wrist in time with her hips. He sat up- he had to see the way her pussy ground against his palm, her juices already shimmering in the dim light over his skin. 

“Faster,” she forced out, arms hooked over the armrest above her head, using the leverage to snap her hips harshly. A long chuff expelled from him, and suddenly his fingers had pulled from her. 

His face fell back into her touch after he’d swiftly pulled the soaked panties off her feet and pushed his sweats down to free his aching cock, his tight undershirt bunched up around his ribs that rippled with muscle. 

Both of them moaned when the head of his dick squeezed in, seating tightly against her core, and there was only a few chaste moments of desperate, messy kissing before he fisted his hands into the cushions beneath her ass and started thrusting. 

His mouth dropped to the spot under her jaw his bite would always mar as her neck craned deliciously, long, throaty moans wavering from her. He laved his tongue over the healing bruise after biting down, slowly, harshly, snarling into her skin when his speed increased. 

“Oh fuck baby,” she whined, her heels pressed tight into his lower back. 

“You’re so wet,” he puffed against her cheek, following her face as her head lulled side to side. 

“Don’t stop- please don’t stop,” she begged breathlessly, eyes rolling back when he obeyed, her ass smacking against his hips loudly. 

He had to close his eyes, tightly. He was so close- watching where his glazed dick punished her would only send him there faster. 

Her touch brought his face back to hers, struggling to find her lips when she bounced beneath him. 

“Oh God- oh fuck,” she wept, her brows tightening. It was happening; her hands were stilling over his tensed arms, her nails starting to pinch into his skin as her breathing became rougher. 

“There you go,” he placed open mouthed kisses across her jaw. “Cum on my dick,”

“Like that- just like that baby,” she exhaled harshly.

_Fuck_ \- the way she spoke when she was like this. Everything was a pleasured plea, her tone harsh, and heady. She whimpered something, many things, her entire body curling inwards until it rolled straight, long successions of strangled moans and melodies of his name flying from her as that submerging wash of ecstacy shot out to every corner of her body. 

The pulses started around his dick, and he fell to his elbows, muffling the Orkish curses against her shoulder. 

She was a fucking drug- one that created the best high he never wanted to come down from, but his end was approaching, her prolonged cries and spice of her damp skin making him dizzy. His thrusts were shortening as her touch dipped under his arms to move down his taut back, admiring the fibers of muscle that worked elegantly under her fingers. 

“You’re so perfect, you feel so fucking good,” she breathed beside his ear, her arms tight around his ribs with her face hiding in the crook of his neck. She kissed his cheek sweetly until he looked at her. “Cum in me?” she whispered, her lips featherlight against his as he groaned loudly, borderline sobbing as he fucked this perfect human below him.

His hips jerked erratically, shouting disconnected words against her skin, quieting to low moans and grunts as he milked himself into her until there was nothing left. 

Nick’s broad shoulders heaved with deep breaths, the gentle kisses dusting across his cheek pulling his face from the crook of her neck for a few sloppy smooches upon her mouth. His arms started to tremble when his heavy body wanted to fall, but he couldn’t crush her stomach. 

With a disapproving groan from Callie, he sat up and slipped out, falling back against the other arm rest, a hand flat on his chest as he steadied his breathing. 

“Oh god I gotta pee,” she griped, grunting with great difficulty as she sat up, and waddled to the bathroom. His hand followed her, but dropped to the floor.

Emptying his load in her had sucked the life right out of him. 

_So worth it_ , he smiled to himself, lifting his hips to pull his sweats up and the shirt down his lean stomach. 

The bathroom door opened, and she ambled out, peeking at him from the dark hallway. 

“Come spoon me,” she called longingly, walking backwards to keep her sleepy eyes on him as he reached for her. Her legs were still shaky, that much was evident even from across the living room, and it sparked a little pride in him. 

It was with great effort that he rose to first turn off the kitchen light then follow her to their room, not even bothering to change as he flopped like a 250 pound sack of potatoes beside her, bouncing a little across the mattress. 

Callie giggled endlessly as she rolled into his side, holding around his shoulders as he buried his face against her breasts, shoving a knee between her thighs. They were pretzeled, chatting quietly with soft touches across her lower back and his shoulder blades, sleep sneaking its way into their cuddle the longer they spoke. Soon they were yawning uncontrollably, and their words were muddling, so with a hand rested on her stomach- awkwardly that was- Nick was the first to drift off, his cheek mashed comically against her chest before Callie followed suit, still rubbing the pads of her fingers behind his ear that twitched on its own accord.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if Orcs are anything like i think they are, i imagine they'd throw bitchin' barbeque's and I WANNA BE INVITED. and they chose a name for a booooooy! 💕 _(acting like i haven't posted spoilers on tumblr for MONTHS NOW)_
> 
> thank you for reading! feedback is always greatly appreciated n_n
> 
> translations:  
> -"ven! ven qui!": come! come here!
> 
> -"lat pa-gog beaukav!": you dumb beast!  
> -"Mausan lovepak": my lovely  
> -"Nalkren'uk avhe faushnu?": how's the baby?
> 
> And just in case cause i have a habit of choosing names that are pronounced weirdly:  
> +Makhel (muh-kel)  
> +Rania (raw-knee-uh)  
> +Makar (muh-car; Leo's middle name)


	7. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo i'm gonna be in hospital all day tomorrow with my son and their wifi is _god_ awful, so i'm dropping the new chapter early 😎  
> enjoy! 🖤

She felt that shot fire through the ends of her hair, barely tugging her scalp. 

A sharp hiss, and she threw her hand over her shoulder, a resounding blast echoing from the wand that warbled fiercely in her clutch.

It was aimless, but her priority was to slow him down. Masses of people screamed and scrambled frantically for cover in the duel that blew apart the building and shattered walls and windows, small patches of fire spreading across tabletops and walls. 

She found Fero then, only because his arm stuck out from behind a wall that hadn’t yet been decimated. She gripped it, and he swung her into his chest, steadying her beside him. Blood was smeared across his cheek, but he looked okay overall.

“Where is he?” Fero hissed, skin misty and covered in the dust and debris crumbling all around them. 

“Shh!” 

They both waited, the wand hidden in her coat and the last of the frantic groups of people scattering from the bazaar, leaving only the two elves and other wand holder in the building. 

They could hear him stepping, slowly, and the low humming of the wand he had. Glass crunched beneath his heavy steps, a few rocks flying by them that he must’ve kicked. 

She struggled to even her breathing, muffling it against her sleeve. Fero glanced at her, jerking his head in the direction behind her, past a few dividing walls that would better conceal them. 

“Tikka?”

The gravely, taunting tone sent a chill down her spine. Had the young man she first met those few months ago gone completely? Where was the soft spoken Orc who was once wary of walking down a crowded hall? 

When she moved sideways, an opportunity arose to look between the cracks of the dividers, but fear made her hesitant. 

He was there, walking through the settling smoke. 

Even though his face was still downcast, his eyes were up, scanning, searching. Through the licking flames slowly consuming the rows of clothes on the tables around them, she saw the fury in his eyes that could challenge the power of an earthquake. The wand illuminated his face; there was nothing familiar about him. All that he was had gone. 

“Tikka?” he called again, but her heart sobbed. 

Above all, she’d been the one to betray him. He needed her long ago, but she turned a blind eye. 

“Makhel?” she called back, and Fero looked at her frantically, yanking on her arm that she jerked from his hold. 

His tainted, golden eyes snapped in her direction, his face pulling in tight for a silent snarl when he stopped walking. 

Tikka took a shaking breath. “Please- stop this,” she begged, fighting Fero’s urgency again. The flames were drawing closer, the heat making her shy away from the crack she peeked through. But he stood at the center of them, seemingly unaffected by their skin peeling whips of shocking, pure light. 

It was the wand- it was glowing, creaking in his hand. The white flames flowed from it like lava, spreading across the floor around him, but did no harm.

_How did he learn that spell?!_

“Makhel I’m so sorry,” she choked, the smoke burning her eyes. 

“Tikka we have to go!” Fero hissed, sirens starting to grow in the distance. 

“Please let me fix this,” she tried, covering her nose and mouth. 

“You can’t take back what they did!” he hollered, sorrowfully, and as the Orcs powerful arm arched back, she finally bolted towards Fero. 

His hand snapped forward, and a wave of what resembled liquid fire shot across the floor from the burning tip of the glowing wand, shrieking in his hold as it engulfed where they stood.

Tikka’s arms had thrown around Fero just in time to cast her own protection, the fire only searing the tip of her ear and hair as it passed over them. The abrasion was small, but burned like dry ice. Only a faltering moment of cringing pain before they ran blindly through the fire and smoke, their throats burning and chests heavy. 

_“TIKKA!”_

She could hear him howling, more blasts of awesome power firing wildly into the air around them, shattering the crumbling rooftop. 

_“Come back! Come back, you coward!”_

But she ran, undoubtedly terrified. The Makhel she knew was lost inside the rage, and now stood at the center of the collapsing building was pure agony, and someone who hurt endlessly. An unbridled, immeasurable amount of power had grown in him, more so than she’d ever seen anyone harness. 

And as she ran, fearful that a blast would find the back of her head, she realized this wouldn’t end with even the most heartfelt apologies. This would result in more deaths if his rampage wasn’t ended. If Makhel wasn’t stopped, by any means necessary, who was to say his rage wouldn’t continue growing past Bright’s alone?

↠

Nick stood with his brawny arms crossed and wearing an amused grin as he watched Sergey struggle to talk over a particular lively woman who was hollering with her arms thrown about, arguing a _human_ cop was the only one who could resolve her dilemma instead of the two Orcs that had been called to the scene some time ago. 

He was plenty used to this by now, and watching the rookie become increasingly flustered was no doubt hysterical, but if Sergey wanted to earn a solo route, he had to learn to handle these situations without Nick stepping in. He didn’t mind at all; he hated dealing with people like this. It seemed more often than not that women were always less willing to work with them than men were. 

Sergey glanced back at Nick, his eyes pleading, but Nick only shook his head, keeping his shoulders up when he shrugged. _You’re on your own, kid._

“You think I’m scared of two Orcs just because y’all have badges now? Think you can push a woman around?” she hollered, jabbing towards his badge. 

“Ma’am you’re the one who called us-” Sergey tried, but tightened his mouth when she yelled over him, going on and on with the same things she’d said ten times already. 

When Sergey glanced at him again, he recognized the fuse that was about to run out. That was enough torture for the day. Nick stepped in, quickly silencing the woman that he hadn’t told the rookie he’d had the unfortunate pleasure of dealing with before- _many_ times before. Took some elbow grease, but before Sergey could finish writing down her information, Nick had calmed Andy enough to uncover that she, _once again_ , was suspicious of her trash cans that weren’t how she had left them outside a few hours prior. 

Sergey struggled to suppress his disappointment as Nick handed her off to him again. He was brimming with annoyance and ready to swing his baton into the so called 'trespassers' she’d initially called about, but managed to speak evenly and take her full statement, enduring her bigoted, endless insults. 

“You best be sendin’ someone more able next time, Nicholas- I don’t have patience for this shit,“ Andy fired off, pointing her finger accusingly while her other hand drew through her kinky hair haphazardly. 

“Yes ma’am,” Nick nodded, biting back a grin when Sergey glared at him. She continued to rattle off aimless words of abuse, her wide hips swinging as she strolled back to her home. Judging by the way she had to use her body to push open her door, the inside of her home was likely packed to the ceiling with junk. The thrumming clang of an acoustic guitar came from inside once the door slammed behind her, and a loud curse from her followed. 

“Would it have killed you to handle that one?” Sergey hissed vehemently, walking by Nick. 

“I get her at least twice a month, I don’t mind passing her on,” Nick simpered, the Orcs heading back to the cruiser. 

“You’re buying for that,” the younger one groaned, hoisting himself into the driver's seat. 

“I bought-”

The loud chirp of another cruiser caught their attention, and up came Ward, rolling against traffic and parking right beside there's.

“Hey,” Nick nodded once, walking up to the car. 

“Get in, we got called,” Ward said flatly, and before Nick even opened his mouth to question, he knew, just by the ire flattening Ward's brows and his jaw sticking out a little farther; his classic pissed-off face. All he needed was the vein bulging on the side of his forehead. 

Nick turned, finding Sergey leaned onto the center console curiously; _goddamn chismoso_. 

“If I come back and something has happened to this cruiser or I find you in an alley naked cause you were too skittish to make an arrest…” Nick started, but he rolled his eyes. 

“You underestimate me,” Sergey chuffed. 

“Malinka,”

The young Orcs head spun, his playful demeanor settling down. Nick rarely used his last name, only when he was being seriously reprimanded. 

“You’re on your own for the rest of the afternoon. Keep your temper even and make sure you go home to Dura.” Nick’s words were brief, but spoke volumes, as did the unwavering seriousness that kept Nick’s eyes on his until Sergey nodded curtly, answering, “Yes sir.” 

He patted the window sill before swiftly moving around Wards cruiser, the door having not closed before he was driving off again. 

“What is it this time?” Nick asked, nonchalantly pilling his Clubmasters off to clean. 

“She destroyed the bazaar on Highland,” 

Nicks head snapped in his direction. “What?” 

“Kandomere said there’s… goo? I don’t know- some wand shit everywhere which means she was there. The whole place is in pieces,” Daryl explained bitterly, his hand pulling down his face as he rounded a corner quickly. The sirens and lights flipped on allowed them to maneuver between traffic; he even slammed the horn a few times when a driver was too inane to bother moving. 

Nick’s face twisted, eyes jumping. “Why a bazaar?”

“Fuck if I know dude. This is just a fucking mess,” 

Nick sat forward, the destroyed building starting to come into view, and both of the officers jaws hung. 

“What the fuck, what the _fuck_ ,” Ward chanted below his breath, coming to a screeching halt beside the countless other patrol cars surrounding the ravaged building. It wasn’t just the piles of concrete and small fires that still billowed into the sky- it was the pools of gelatinous, glowing fire-like goo that swarmed small pieces of it, moving in centralized patterns like maggots.

It was everywhere, and beside it were countless MTF authorities, dressed in radicalized hazmat suits, literally shoveling it into reinforced barrels. 

The men stumbled aimlessly for a bit, taking it all in. The victims screaming in ambulances, the glowing goo constricting their limbs, and others in body bags being brought from the rubble. 

There were also Brezziks slipping in, their sly hands snatching fallen jewelry or goods under everyone’s radar. 

Nick turned, watching two officials carry away a barrel that hummed lowly, the Geiger Counters at their hips clicking wildly. 

“What the fuck-“ Nick exhaled sharply. 

“Officers!” 

They spotted Kandomere, and for once, there wasn’t much that was prim or proper about his appearance. His typical elegant suit was replaced with more… casual clothes, the sleeves of his button up rolled to the elbow and his hair pulled back. The dirt covering him pointed to him having gone through the rubble himself, but neither men could fathom him doing such a thing. 

“What happened?” Ward questioned urgently. 

“She was here, but for what reason we don’t know,” Kandomere said evenly, quickly scripting his signature across a clipboard when handed to him. “Someone else is with her, and I think they dueled here,” 

“Dueled?” Nick barked. 

“You see that?” The elf pointed to glowing goo, a small puddle close to them. “That’s Wand Plasma. It’s the cast off of a Battle Spell, a very _powerful_ spell. No other charm or enchantment gives it off. She was fighting someone else with a wand,” 

“So there’s definitely more than one wand in LA,” 

“Definitely. The reason as to who she’s battling, and why she is though, is without answer. Both have only left clues such as this behind to indicate they’re even here. We have nothing,” Kandomere concluded, overlooking the disaster before them. 

They continued to look on, and the longer they observed, the more destruction they took in. Nick started noticing blood splattered here and there while Ward watched them bring out a smaller body bag, one that could be easily held in someone’s arms. 

“I’m leaving LA,” Nick stated, nodding to himself. “I’m not gonna be here for this shit again,” 

“Right behind you,” Ward nodded, hand on his belt. 

“Neither of you are going anywhere,”

They both turned, meeting the critical, icy blue gaze. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Neither of you can leave. We need to know where you both are at all times in case she tries to make contact,” Kandomere explained. 

“Fuck that,” Nick spat, turning to leave. 

“If you leave I’ll have your badge revoked,” 

Nick spun on his heel, stomping back. Ward shouted to calm down when he shoved past him, barely able to keep Nick withheld as he stood chest to chest with Kandomere. 

“Then fucking take it. I’m not going to sit here and let her roll up on me or my family,” he snarled viciously, but the elf was unfazed. 

“Then who do you expect to help if she does?”

“If I leave she can’t! So take or do whatever the fuck you want but I’m not risking our lives or my child's just to make your job easier!” Nick hollered, barely restrained by Ward. 

“I am giving you a direct order to stay in LA! If you so much as step outside of city limits I’ll make sure you’re buried in the deepest hole of solitary confinement for the rest of your life!” Kandomere was booming back now, his face twisted into a rage he’d repressed for weeks. 

“Try and stop me! Try and _fucking_ stop me-“ 

“Nick enough! Back the fuck off!” Ward was yelling over him, shoving harshly against the furious Orcs chest, but moving him was like pushing a raging bull- damn near impossible, and maybe just enough antagonization to get him to push back. “Just stop!” Ward finally silenced him, only moving his hands when Nick turned to chuff and snarl loudly to himself, his hands upon his head. 

“Why can’t we leave? If she hasn’t contacted us yet then why can’t we just fucking go? It would be one less thing for you to keep an eye on,” Ward tried to reason, but Kandomere only shook his head. 

“You know exactly why, Officer Ward,” he at first said calmly before stepping closer. “She’s going to try and put a wand in your hand. If she’s Inferni, she’s going to recruit you,” 

“Who says I’d go?” 

“Wands bring power, and with power comes corruption. Don’t underestimate that,” 

Ward’s face was taut in restricted fury, choosing to look away. “So what, we wait for her to come at us? What then?” 

“If she does she’ll fall right into our hands. We’ve had teams following you both for weeks,” 

“Us? _Just_ us? What about our families?” Nick stepped in, eyes wild with worry. “If her sister knows how to take people down to follow a path, who’s saying she doesn’t know how either?” 

“We don’t have that kind of disposable man-power-“ 

“Then find it! I have a fucking baby on the way! My girlfriend- my future _wife_ is home alone and you’re telling me there’s no one there to keep an eye on her?! What about his wife and daughter?! How well is your plan going if she attacks them and not us?!” Nick bellowed, but Daryl didn’t push him away this time. This was another dark door opening up, revealing shady dealings behind the scenes. 

“You two are main priority-”

“If you want us to cooperate then fucking _work with us_!” Nick finished, chuffing loudly in his face. Nick looked down on him until Kandomere took a step back, uncaring of the fellow officers watching them or the onlookers gawking. 

“Because if anything happens to my girl, or my child, I will rip you into pieces. I don’t care if you don’t know what it is to have someone- stop treating us like we’re disposable. We have lives outside of this shit,” Nick ground out, his menacing form lingering a few seconds longer before turning away heatedly. 

The cold, steely expression had returned to his tired eyes, as did the rigid manner in the way he stood. If there was ever a time Ward has seen Kandomere intimidated, it was Nick getting in his face. 

“He’s right. You both are, but he’s more right. If you want us to work with you, then work with us,” Daryl reiterated, stepping back to follow Nick. 

“He’s not entirely right,” Kandomere informed, fixing his rolled sleeves. “Leila killed my husband 30 years ago. Don’t tell me I don’t know what it means to have someone lost.” 

Ward was left standing amongst the burning rubble and curious eyes, and admittedly surprised; it explained the resilience, and persistence to end this. The kind of loathing he had for those sisters must’ve been unbearable, or perhaps just the opposite. That very contempt could’ve been what drove him to see an end to this, no matter how much he had to withstand to see it through.

Daryl's attention turned to the few left still watching. “Mind your own.” he snapped, waving his hand. Still a few pair of eyes following, but became an afterthought once finding Nick inside the SUV, his elbow rested against the window and biting his thumb nail nervously. 

“I know what you’re thinkin’,” Ward cautioned, but Nick’s knee kept bouncing. “If you try n’ run off with Callie they’re gonna find you before you hit Anaheim,”

“It’s worth a shot,” Nick battled. 

Ward sat forward, inclined enough to finally catch his partners line of sight. “Then what? You gonna leave your girl with a newborn you’ll never see? You won’t even get visitations or calls. You’ll go the rest of your life wondering what your baby’ll look like or who it’s callin’ daddy,” 

Nick’s brows were knit together in a deep scowl, the shake of his head barely noticeable. 

“This sucks. It fucking sucks but don’t do something that’s gonna drag on past her finally being caught. Don’t do that to your family.” Ward scolded, no room for debate in his somber tone or unmoving grimace. 

Everything in Nick wanted to pick up Callie and run- to leave as far away as they could until this nightmare was over, but Ward was right. He was acting on fear without thinking of the lasting effects. He couldn’t leave Callie alone if what Kandomere had threatened him with held any truth. 

Ward’s hand squeezing his shoulder offered comfort when Nick’s face fell into his palms, but agony swirled just below the surface. 

“Maybe we can bribe an extended vacation out of this if we agree to stay put,” Ward said a little lighter, and Nick let out a scoffing chuckle, leaning back into the seat. 

A silence drifted between them, both spinning in their own minds trying to make sense of this whirlwind of a situation. 

“Dealt with Andy today,” Nick mumbled, and it immediately stirred a grin onto Ward’s face. “I’m sure she misses you,”

“Still hates your existence?” Ward teased. 

“Just like half of LA.” 

↠ 

“Okay, that about does it. Thanks everyone,” the older woman smiled kindly, closing her binder as the other managers and a few workers grabbed their own belongings to leave the conference room. “Calista?”

Callie looked up, her glasses in one hand and the other still finishing her notes across the legal pad. “Yes?”

“Come to my office?” she grinned, the smile lines beside her eyes showing. 

The flicker of a furrow flashed across Callie’s brows, but she nodded, standing with a soft grunt. She smoothed down her pencil skirt, a hand held against her round stomach as she followed her boss out and across the lobby, their heels clicking softly against the marble floors. 

“Close the door hun,” the older woman instructed, moving behind her desk and waiting for Callie to sit before her, always struggling to find the comfiest position. 

“It only gets harder to find that spot,” Tam grinned, and Callie shook her head with a small smile. 

“Realizing that more every week,” she sighed, finally wiggling her shoulders back against the seat. This would do. “So? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, yeah, um… how are you and Nick?” she asked curiously, folding her hands before her. 

“Good. We bought one of those wrap around things you told us about after the baby is born,” 

“Oh good, those really make the difference,” Tam nodded, lips quirked to the side. “Alright," she srummed her fingers against the desks surface. "There’s something I need to speak to you about,” 

Callie tensed, keeping her expression placid. 

“One of the girls came to me and filed a complaint about you,” 

Callie blinked a few times. “A complaint?”

Tam nodded, pulling open her drawer to bring forth the paper that had been filled out. Even from behind, she could see the lengthy paragraph that had been scribbled onto the paper. It was handed over, and she skimmed it, but was unable to conceal the amused grin from spreading across her lips. 

“Is this serious?” she asked silently, peaking at Tam. Her boss nodded, eyes rolling back slowly behind an even slower blink. 

“Over my _Instagram_?” 

“Apparently this girl who chose to remain anonymous was, what did it say- ‘extremely unnerved’? To have seen such-”

“Vulgar displays of sexuality from two seperate races,” Callie recited from the page, brows perking up. She looked back up, handing the paper back. “Well as much as I’d like to I’m not apologizing for this,”

“I understand,”

“I’ve never brought my personal life into work unless you count this,” she pointed to her stomach, “but you know, that’s kind of attached to me,”

“Yes-”

“If anything that’s bringing my business in against my own will. Church and state- I’ve always been adamant about that,” Callie snapped a little that time. 

“Callie. You’re not in trouble,” Tam interjected, silencing her rising tone and accelerating speech. “This? Is nothing,” she tossed it aside, reclined in her posh office chair. “But if I didn’t bring you in then I’d be breaking protocol,”

She nodded in agreeance, no matter how annoying it was. “Am I getting a formal warning?”

“No. I don’t care what you do outside of work. You don’t bring your drama in like half of these girls do so there’s nothing to be up in arms about here. What I think it is, is someone’s not too fond of Officer Orc coming in now and again,” Tam explained, brows raised high and chin sticking out. 

Callie’s eyes narrowed. “Isabelle,”

“I’m not saying names or pointing fingers. But I mean this handwriting alone is enough to give her up,” Tam mumbled, pushing her pin straight, midnight locks behind her ears. 

“I had a feeling it would come to this,” Callie mumbled, crossing her arms. “She’s not very shy about sharing her opinion in the break room with others,”

“That a fact?” 

Again Callie nodded. 

Tam pursed her lips. “Wanna write a complaint?” 

She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. More of an annoyance than anything,”

“Hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman scorned,” Tam smiled. 

“Damn right. Are we done?” Callie asked ardently, already collecting her items. 

“If I go out there in an hour and find blood and a body…” Tam cautioned, pointing her finger. 

“I know not to dirty my hands.” Callie played, shaking her hands as if shaking water from them before winking and leaving the office. 

Balancing on her heels was a little tougher the more her stomach grew with every passing week, but she found smaller steps were kinder to her. Forget tumbling at home- at work, on _these_ floors? Who knew if either of them would survive that slip. Callie only bothered stepping in her office enough to toss her folder onto her desk, turning to walk with determination behind the counter where the other tellers were clustered during the dead period of the day. 

“Isabelle? Can I speak to you for a moment?” Callie flashed her kindest smile, ending the girls snide grins she’d caught sight of since stepping from Tam’s office. 

Isabelle, who was tall and lanky with eyes only big from at least ten pounds of fake lashes and mascara, followed Callie, her hands pulling the ends of her sweater down nervously. They didn’t head for the office, but instead the break room, which was empty, yet even if it hadn’t been, Callie would’ve done this in front of other workers. Maybe she needed this in public for her to understand exactly who she was fucking with. 

She stopped just inside the room, turning to cross her arms and lean against the wall. 

“So I was looking over that request you put in to switch your availability?” Callie grinned, and Isabelle relaxed visibly, smiling back. 

“It went through?” she asked excitedly. 

“No. I don’t approve shift changes based on who you like best that week, even if the guards are cute,” Callie shrugged, lips quirked to the side. 

A few moments of confusion passed, and the tall girl shifted uncomfortably, pushing her stiff hair from her shoulders. “Um-”

“In fact, I think we’ll be bringing you down to part-time. Yesterday was the third call I received from an account holder complaining that you had a space open but took nearly ten minutes to call her- being the _only_ person in line, because you were talking to Logan, who in turn should’ve been outside. I checked the schedule. He was on the clock, too,” 

“P-part time?” she stuttered. 

“It’s been a long time coming, sweetie. You’ve only been here four months but you call out more than you show up, and don’t bother to find cover before disappearing,” Callie added calmly. 

“I have doctors notes-”

“You don’t. You have papers from a prescription pad you wrote false excuses on, which is actually a felony. I’ve consulted an officer,” 

_I've asked Officer Orc, you little bitch._

Isabelle’s porcelain skin turned ashen, and she licked her lips that had suddenly gone dry. “Is this about…”

“About what?” Callie asked, acting unknowing. “About _what_?” She was almost on the verge of giving up her anonymity, but in the end remained silent, cracking her knuckles at her sides.

“This is why bringing personal issues into work will always result in trouble. Unless you want your work here terminated, stop coming in with hangovers and those sad excuses of excuses, Isabelle. This is your final warning before I take it to Tam.” 

She didn’t nod, but she didn’t fight it either before Callie pushed off the wall and walked past her. 

“I’m sorry,”

Callie turned, finding her in the doorway, stood awkwardly in her flats and dress pants too short for her long legs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve let my own beliefs get in the way, I didn’t mean to offend you. I promise I can remain professional from here on out,”

“Beliefs are just opinions and those are best kept to yourself.” 

She left her there, flashing a kind smile to the others girls who were still huddled behind the front desk and staring with wide eyes as she made her way to her office. 

When Callie had first been promoted to branch manager, it affected her relationship with most of the long time workers here who thought she didn’t deserve the job simply based on her overall methods of handling stuff like this, regardless of her perfect work record and stunning results that had streamlined how the branch worked. She’d also worried her anxiety would prevent her from putting her foot down when needed, but she found it to be an uplifting exercise she could confidently carry out into real life now, no matter how personal the aggravator was. 

Not to mention that little bitch had that coming for weeks. But she pushed down that satisfied smile as she sat behind her desk, flipping her thick folder open to finish her notes. 

The tiny kicker she squished as she hunched over her stomach protested after a few minutes of stillness, and she swiveled on the chair gently, groaning.

“Don’t you start acting up on me too.” 

↠

Nick shifted the cruiser into park, sitting motionless in the seat a minute. 

He’d gotten there early where usually he would get there right on time. The remainder of that day had been disorganized and offkey. He dropped his damn taser during a home invasion call, for Christ’s sake. 

He rubbed his face with a low groan, turning down the loud chatter of his radio. He tried to settle in for the small wait, looking at his phone or making sure he’d logged everything correctly in his center laptop, but only minutes had passed that felt like hours. 

Nick glanced bitterly at the glass doors of the bank, his lips pursing to the side. 

_There’s at least snacks in there_. 

He nearly tumbled from the car, his body tightening in anger a chaste moment before slamming the door behind himself. Why was his belt suddenly heavier than before? He twisted it back and forth; didn’t help. 

“Afternoon, officer,” one of the guards nodded at him, opening the door. Nick nodded curtly, stepping into the bustling bank. 

_Ehh_ , he didn’t expect this many people to be there. _Too late now_. 

He scanned quickly… his temperament settled the moment he saw her. Tikka dropped to the back of his mind where it was only a dull rumble instead of an insistent clatter, and the longer he watched her stood beside another teller assisting her with the computers that were notorious for acting up, it nearly dissipated. Still strong enough to be a constant, dark cloud in his mind, but not enough to stop his shoulders from relaxing.

He loved the way she held her stomach, like the hand upon the chest of a person in awe of a painting before them. She was star struck with her baby even when she didn’t realize it. 

_Forget the snacks_. 

Nick moved past the long line of people, ignoring some of their low whispers of disapproval as he made his way to the cubby Callie was perched behind. 

“Excuse me ma’am?” he called, and she looked up, a grin forming. 

“Yes Officer?” Callie played, hands folding over the cubby divider. 

He inhaled, but paused. “I got nothing,” he exhaled harshly, dropping his head. 

Callie laughed, and even the teller did behind the cover of her hand. “You’re not very good at flirting,” his lover giggled, resting her chin atop her hands. 

His brows perked up, glancing between her stomach and her face. “Good enough, don’t you think?” 

“Excuse me I won’t stand being harassed by you,” Callie said in false sincerity. “Keep it up and I’ll call the police,”

“Find yourself another ride home then,” he sassed back, grinning cheekily when she narrowed her eyes. 

“Fine. Only cause I like your ears,” Callie flicked her hair off her shoulder as she walked away, grabbing her purse and jacket before emerging from behind the counter. 

“Really cause I’m sure there was something bigger I recall you begging for the other night,” he whispered against the shell of her ear once they were walking through the lobby, but a hard elbow to his side silenced that naughty talk. 

A passing glare befell Isabelle, who was staring from behind her computer screen, and Callie hoped her stark stare said all she wanted: go ahead, send in another complaint. But the gangly girl only looked away disconnectedly, at first holding up her phone but quickly realizing that wasn’t the best cover while still working. 

“You’re awfully cheery,” Nick took note of, opening the door for her as she nearly skipped beside him. 

“I’ll spill the chisme when you get home later.” her chin was lifted proudly when she said that, cracking a goofy smile. 

↠

“A complaint?” Nick repeated hotly, stopping with the shirt around his shoulders. 

“Yeah over my fuckin’ Instagram account,” she emphasized, legs crossed indian style and a bowl of hot cheetohs smothered with lime in her lap. “And that means she's lurking cause she doesn't even follow me! It said, word for word, ‘I am extremely unerved to see vulgar displays of sexuality from two seperate races’,”

Nick stopped again, this time with his pants around his knees to look at her with unamused eyes. 

“Right?!” she exclaimed. 

He shrugged with a grin. “I mean… you do have some borderline raunchy stuff on there,”

“Hey hey don’t take her side, uh-uh man,” she wagged her finger, brows arched in anger. 

“I’m not, but,” he sat beside her, stealing a cheetoh. “There’s like 4 screenshots of our sex tape on there,”

“But all the bits are covered,” she argued saucily. 

Nick looked at her blandly. 

“There’s cute ones too- hey you know what, stop raining on my parade! I finally gave that little shit-head what she deserved so agree with me and congratulate me, damnit,” she demanded, hitting his sturdy chest. 

“I was just sayin’,” he implied, and met her cold glare. “What?” he chuckled, but she only moved away from him, taking her bowl with her. 

“You know I was gonna let you stick your dick down my throat tonight but now that I know I’m bearing the child of a traitor I can’t even stand to look at you,” she rattled off quickly, crawling across the bed, but sashayed slowly when the tops of her thighs bumped her stomach. 

“What- wait, hold on come back,” he laughed, pulling her back by the hips.

“Nope, you lost your chance asshole,” she struggled, mindful to set her bowl down on the floor before really fighting him off. “Let go of me I’m delicate!”

He blew a loud raspberry, successfully wrapping his arms under her bust and flinging her onto her back with only half the momentum he usually mustered. Callie kicked and laughed, squirming in his hold as he struggled to grab hold of her flailing arms, taking a few soft hits against the jaw as she fought blindly. 

A few jabs of her fingers in his side had him sitting up, pointing at her critically. “That’s off limits,” he warned, but his threat was obviously thought nothing of as she scooted closer, hands flying to his ribs again. “You little-”

“Nick no, no, **NO!** ” she hollered, laughing wildly when his own fingers dug mercilessly into her sides. She tried to scream for him to stop, but it was smothered by breathless laughter, her legs retracting instead of kicking. 

“Say cheesecake,” he demanded, her head thrashing. “Say cheesecake!”

“I’m- stah- or I’ll pah- pee!” she forced out, and he eased up, watching her gasp for air and cover her bulging stomach. She was still giggling between shaky breaths, her knees over his thighs as he waited. 

“Hey,”

“Huh?” he asked, but exclaimed when her hand flew between her thighs and she sucker punched him in the belly, hard enough to curl him forwards over her. She protected herself as she laughed at him, but in this position, with his big body smothering hers and her knees unable to pull in enough to use her feet to get him off, she was vulnerable, and it was only a matter of time before he attacked again. 

“You suck,” he groaned, sitting up on his hands. He was menacing like that, still close enough that she tried to press herself deeper into the bed. 

“You like it when I do that,”

Nick’s eyes narrowed, a laugh breaking through. “You’re being fucking impossible right now,”

“Thought you liked it when I was feisty,” she wiggled her brows, her knees closing around his hips to move him side to side. 

“I’d like it more if you were naked,”

“Is that all that's ever on your mind?” she teased, biting her lip when he pinned her arms down. 

“Cut the attitude or I’m gonna fuck it out of you,” he ordered. 

“Okay,”

_Oh_. 

He released her wrists so they could cross behind his neck when he kissed her, rolling them to the side so he could pull her flush against him without compromising her stomach. He didn’t need to scent her to know she was already aroused; her legs were still circling his hips, her crotch grinding tantalizingly up and down across his cock that was swelling. 

“You planned this didn’t you?” He questioned against her searching mouth, reaching between them to push her panties aside. 

“Nope,” she sighed, arching when he brushed her clit. “But I knew it’d get here,” 

She turned boneless under him when he pushed her back, arms spread and body arching deliciously after he’d sucked two fingers and pushed them in, slowly coaxing her hips to follow his rhythm. 

“You like that?” He purred, kissing the pulse he could feel thundering beneath his lips. A starved moan was his answer, and he could almost feel the euphoria rolling off of her. 

Nick smiled. “I’m gonna keep you begging tonight.”

* * *

Her patterned hands flinched back when he hissed, but he made no move to leave. Again she dabbed the deep wound, keeping at it when he groaned in discomfort. 

“This needs stitches,” she mumbled, trading the soaked gauze for a clean piece. 

“Super-glue it,” he ground out, looking down at the slice stretching about 4 inches down his arm. 

“And trap in all the dirt and glass?” she protested, but he was already digging through their backpack and popping off the lid. “Makhel,”

“I can’t walk into an ER like this,” he began, squeezing the glue inside the still bleeding cut. “MTF is going to be doubling their people-” he cringed, golden eyes pinched shut as he squeezed his arm to hold the tissue together. Rania cringed too, her athletic shoulders drawn in as she watched him. 

The bleeding _did_ lessen, but that wouldn’t be a permanent solution. 

Her hazel eyes flickered to him, noting the numerous tiny slices and scrapes covering his thin face, even a few tiny nicks in his tusks. He’d come back in worse shape, more so than she could’ve ever expected and had told her so little. It wouldn’t be far fetched to put his condition and the destruction of the bazaar she’d seen on the news together, but she didn’t understand _why_. 

“Makhel?” 

He looked to her, pulling his shirt back on. 

“You can stop this,” she pleaded softly, head tilting when he looked elsewhere. “You don’t need to do this,”

“I do. I absolutely do. Not only for me, but for _you_ , Rania. I do it for _you_ ,” he urged, holding her round face, her wild, dark curls falling around his hold when she leaned into his touch. “I can never take back what they did but I can stop them from doing it to someone else,”

“You have, you did. You stopped who needed to be stopped. You can’t carry over hate to all Brights. How are you any better than them if you think like they do?” she argued, but he only shook his head, his thumbs tracing her cheeks. The sparse stippling of her patterned skin was paler since they’d fled Brazil, the exhaustion evident under her puffy eyes. 

Her face dropped, and he caught it twisting before it disappeared behind her mass of dark hair. 

“ _Lul_ , look at me,” he called softly, bringing her glossy line of sight back to his. “When this is over, we’ll find a new home. We’ll start our lives- have a family,” he depicted, and the images of the small home they’d wanted on the outskirts of Olinda came before her, beckoning her back across the world where he’d taken her from that warm night. "I will give you everything I've promised,"

“What if this doesn’t end how we want?” 

He stared, mouth opening, but with no answer. 

“What if they kill you?” she wept, holding his hands. 

“They won’t- _she_ won’t. I’m stronger than her. She fled today instead of fighting because she knows this. Nothing can happen to me, Rania. I won’t let anything happen to either of us. This will end when it needs to, and I promise I’ll take you home.” he told her with conviction, but behind the strong front, she saw something different in her lover. 

It was the wand. 

Throughout the time he told her this, his eyes would often flicker to it, just beside himself. 

He used to keep it within its case, but every night, it drew closer. First across the room, then at arms length, then beside him, and now it never left his grasp. It hummed obnoxiously when he wasn’t touching it, and often she’d catch him gazing at it longingly, rolling it slowly in his hands. 

Makhel pulled her into a tight embrace, smoothing his large hands down her hair as she buried her face against his shoulder. 

When his other arm came to hold around her shoulders, the glowing of the wand rested beside her cheek, now silent. She stared at it from the corner of her eye, a deep loathing forming in her gut anytime she caught sight of it. 

“I love you,” Rania mumbled, clinging tighter to him. 

He glanced down at wand, grinning, and holding her tighter. “I love you.”

* * *

Sleep evaded him that night. 

Worries and fears had left his mind while Callie lulled his mind and body those few hours, but they were back, and overly abundant. 

It trembled the hand he was using to drag his knuckles across her cheek, his fingertip touching the ends of her lashes as she slept. Bruises already darkened the skin of her arms, hips and thighs, a few hickeys on her swelled breasts open to the night around them. 

Nick laid beside her in their bed, listening to her breathe, often laying a hand over her stomach to feel their baby somersault. 

Where it all had once been able to ground him now only made him more fearful. 

He had so much to lose; so much he’d surely never recover from if it was taken.

How could he fix this?

What could he do to keep them safe? 

Questions he had no answers to, and only weighed the already impending sense of doom that crushed his chest. 

Callie grunted, rolling towards him after her face soured and lips smacked together a few times. 

“You okay?” he whispered. 

“Heartburn,” she slurred, squeezing against his side. He pulled her knee up over his hips, alleviating the pressure on her stomach as she sleepily stuffed some blanket under it before drifting off again, her hair starting to slip from it’s messy bun.

The longer he stared up at the ceiling, the more the agony shifted. 

The more he thought about Tikka, the higher the animosity grew, the questions in his head changing shape. 

_Why did she have to come back?_

_Why was she doing this?_

Nick exhaled slowly, recalling the destroyed building, and the carseat tipped off its base after she’d broken into his truck. 

_She’s so careless_. 

He looked to the bedside table, and reached to crack open the drawer that held his glock before returning his hand to Callie’s thigh. 

It wasn’t much, especially against a wand, but it helped a little. Enough to grant him the feeling of security; that he had some control over this situation Tikka had brought upon them, uncaringly, selfishly. 

With a final, low chuff, he adjusted himself, pressing his chin against her head and fighting for silence in his own mind. 

All in all, he wouldn’t let this end with the loss of everything he held dear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a very small, tender translation:
> 
> -Lul: Flower (nickname) 
> 
> tensions are risiiiiinnnngggg, shit is escalatiiiinnngggg!  
> as always, thank you for reading and feedback is always appreciated! 🖤😊


	8. Déjà Vu

Ward had expected to see the blue haired elf upon entering the room, but was only met with Montehugh’s lackluster self, turning to nod at Daryl with a classification folder in hand. 

“Where’s Kandomere?” 

“Busy,” he slapped the folder onto the table surface, and that was Ward’s cue to shut the door. “Take a look,”

Daryl opened the folder before he was sat, and a small pile of photos slipped out. The CCTV shots were of poor quality, but enough was legible from the blurs shaped like people and light radiating from their extended arms. 

“That’s Tikka,” Ward mumbled, pointing with his pinky. If it hadn’t been for the small blob of lighter color on this fuzzy shapes head, she could’ve gone unidentified. 

“Correct,” Montehugh announced, pouring himself coffee. “So who’s the other fucker?”

“The fuck should I know?”

“I’m not asking you,” Montehugh sat before him, a hard exhale coming forth. “Now I’m sure you know what’s about to go down,”

“Haven’t seen or heard shit,” Ward shook his head, carefully overlooking all the photos obtained from the destroyed bazaar. There was something off-putting about the opponent she was clearly battling. It’s form was too unfamiliar, something he couldn’t label as elf or human. Though it appeared to be showing it’s face and arms, it was dark, and no hair seemed to adorn it’s head from what he could make out. 

“Could this be an Orc?” Daryl asked. 

“Not likely,” he sipped his steaming drink. 

“But not impossible?”

“Do you know how rare it is for there to be Orc Brights?” Montehugh laughed. 

“Cut the shit- could it be an Orc?” Ward demanded, and the heavyset detective sighed. 

“The chances are stacked against that assumption,”

“Regardless. Maybe bringing this to the table and lookin’ for Brights outside of elves and humans would mean this shit could be taken care of sooner,” the officer rattled out accusingly, a clear jab at their lack of success during the weeks this had dragged on. 

“You wanna take that sad excuse of a photo out and start interrogating Orcs on the street? Asking to see their wands? Be my fucking guest if you think it’s so simple,” 

“It’d be more than whatever the fuck you two are doing. All you’ve told us is we can’t leave the city and that she’s on the loose, so what the fuck are you guys doing?” Ward was sitting forward, his face twisted with rage. 

“We’re keeping you fuckers on a short leash in case you two decide to run off with another wand,” Montehugh spat back just as aggressively. “Where the fuck is your Orc?”

“Fuck you-”

“Where?” 

Daryl sat back, crossing his arms. “Not here,”

“Get him here. Starting tomorrow you two are taking a leave of absence,”

“The fuck-”

“Shut the fuck up and let me finish,” The red head interjected, raising his hand. Ward had stood angrily, his chair kicked back, and it took a few seconds of audible fuming to get him to back down, still glaring hatefully. 

“If you’d bothered to read the report that’s in front of you you’d know that there were spikes in activity,” he flipped a few pages, shoving the report across the table. “And look what neighborhoods they’re moving through,”

Reluctantly, Ward looked it over, but was poor at masking his alarm. The spikes across the map read like sonar, all the recorded battles and wand activity moving in a steady line across LA, directly towards his neighborhood. He tossed it away from him. 

“I need to leave with my family,”

“No. You’re both going to stay put, and stay close to home, and not bitch and whine when you have a few extra guests keeping watch outside of your houses,” Monteugh explained slowly, his voice having come down to a reasonable level. 

“How’re a bunch of agents gonna protect my family against a wand?” His voice betrayed him. It shook, his eyes downcast; Ward was scared. 

“Bright’s aren’t always renegades,” 

Ward looked up, repeating that a few times over in his head. MTF proved itself shiftier with every encounter.

“Call Jakoby. He needs to be briefed.” Montehugh instructed, sitting back in his seat. 

Daryl pulled his phone out, finding Nick in his call log before keeping the phone’s edge against his temple. “Is this leave of absence paid?”

“That all you care about?”

“Yeah so does my wife and mortgage,” Ward snapped. _Why are you so fucking unpleasant…_

The line trilled, but only fell to his voicemail. “Not answering,”

“Call again,” Montehugh ordered. 

“Cause that always works…” but he still did so, looking at the detective sarcastically when the call went to voicemail once again. 

Over and over he tried, even sending a few heated messages, but nothing came of it despite Montehugh’s insistence. It was shortening Ward’s patience everytime he barked out another demand without even looking up from his own tasks, seemingly unbothered by any of this. 

“I’m done, he’s not gonna answer,” the phone was slammed down; that probably broke my screen. 

Montehugh turned, stirring another cup. “Then go get him,”

It wasn’t actually having to go seek out Nick, it was the manner in which the overweight detective expected him to, and the way he spoke to him, like Ward was a rookie and didn’t know how things were done. That being said, things weren’t done like this. 

Still, with a clenched jaw and fingernails that dug into his palm sharply from the force of his tightened fists, Ward left, slamming the door bitterly behind him as he stomped through the busy halls of the precinct. He blew off conversations and hellos, uncaring of who he bumped into. 

Before his eyes was a film, and it displayed countless options that all lead back to dire ends. 

Ward wanted to scoop his family up and run far away, but he also just wanted to leave by himself if it meant no harm would befall them. He wanted this to be over just as much as he wanted to go back to that night four years ago and let the call pass onto someone else. What he wouldn’t give to let some other chump carry the blood on his hands and this nightmare that had become his life. He’d give anything to go back and never know he’s a Bright. 

↠

She could feel her heart thrumming in her ribs as she looked up at the ceiling, her breath coming forth in harsh pants. A dull quake radiated all over, her arms starting to tremble where she supported herself against his thighs that tensed severely under her grip.

“Nick,” she gasped, looking down at his face lined with rapt attention. 

“Almost,” he puffed, his hold on her hips brutal. 

She glanced behind herself. “You didn’t pause th- ah! You didn’t pause the show!” 

“We’ll go back,” he grunted. “Wasn’t that interesting anyways,”

Callie gasped, and he looked up to smile at her purely shocked face. “You said you liked it so far!”

Nick’s thrusting stopped, his mien amiss. “There’s so much _talking_ ,” he admitted, his eyes rolling slowly. 

“Cause it’s about profiling murderers,” 

“They could add in some shootouts or the actual murders or something,”

“You need to get over that CSI is over, chato,” she shook her head, holding his shoulders. 

“It was the best-”

“And now it’s over so we’re gonna go back and rewatch this,” she pointed back to the TV. “And you’re not gonna compare them,”

Nick chuffed loudly at her, but she only punched his chest, bracing herself when he scooted down the cushion to continue where he’d left off. A few pumps in, and her head rolled back, his merciless grip returning to her waist.

“It’s so good,” he exhaled, intensifying his momentum. Callie cried out, back arching as he 'punished her pussy'. _Pffft_ , that could get her going again. She’d long since stopped bouncing as dutifully, but her extra weight or stomach didn’t hinder his effectiveness in this position anyway, and adding his heat cycle that had just kicked in a day ago meant there’d be nothing stopping him until he climaxed. 

But she was getting sore, as well as her back which already was from a morning of waddling around the house. 

“Baby-”

“I’m almost there,” he snarled, his hips snapping upward harshly. She hissed, her face scrunching, but let her head drop back as she moved to hang off his shoulder. He was growling, and she suspected he was also eyeing the next spot he wanted to dig his teeth into. Since that first bite that scarred her breast, he’d taken cautionary nibbles across her body, calculating where he wanted to leave his next mark, and it both excited and terrified her. 

Turn-ons aside, it hurt like a bitch.

“Nick I’m tired,” she exhaled, the little energy left in her draining rapidly. “We’re supposed to be Netflix and chilling,”

Nick laughed out then, face in a tight snarl- but also a smile?- as he looked up at her. “That’s exactly what we’re doing,” 

Callie rolled her eyes, figuring if she wanted this over with, she’d better put her back into it, or _get_ back into it. With her hands clasped behind his neck, she squatted onto her feet, snapping her hips forcefully. He keened loudly, head suddenly pressing back into the cushions and his thrusts shortening as she took over. “I’m gonna cum-”

The front door swung open, startling Pucca in their room to come running and barking. 

“Ni- **holy fuck** ,” Ward bellowed, spinning quickly with a hand sheilding his eyes. 

Callie shrieked, her arms crossed over her breasts and falling into Nick’s chest as he carefully pushed her aside and off his lap before spinning in his seat. 

“Daryl what the fuck!” Nick hollered, watching him try and push a jumping Pucca down, keeping his eyes covered.

“Fuck I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but you gotta com- you gotta go, we gotta go,” Ward stumbled, already moving out of the house in embarassment. “My bad, Callie,” 

The door closed, and Nick understood then. He groaned. _Another fucking briefing?_

He looked at Callie who was pressed deep into the cushions, a hand over her mouth, and still spread enough to see where he’d once been before. 

“Sounds like you need to go,” she cracked, and his brows flattened. 

“I didn’t get to finish,”

“Good thing you did three times last night,” she smiled before sitting up to give him a quick kiss, then struggling to stand until Nick offered a hand. She mindfully stepped around him, giggling when his arms circled her thighs to nip playfully at her bare hip. With shaking legs she scooted to the bathroom, leaving him pent up and irritable… and still hard. 

Nick exhaled harshly, flinging himself back into the couch. He waited a minute, but the hard-on wasn’t going anywhere. Upon snatching his phone from the ground, he noted the calls from Ward he’d ignored while pounding Callie into oblivion, and instead scrolled until he found his favorite video of them. With a shimmy of his shoulders against the cushions, he took matters into his own hand. 

 

“Don’t forget to call me when you’re done,” Nick kissed into her cheek, grabbing the lunch she handed off. 

“I know. Be safe- I love you,” Callie giggled and grunted in his tight embrace, smacking his back when a hand started to venture downwards. “Get outta here,”

“Yeah yeah,” he cracked, one last rub across her stomach before slipping on his Clubmasters and leaving, still quite unsatisfied. There was a lingering heat set in his skin despite the particularly cool day, and it made him all the more irritable. Now having to go in and deal with MTF- _ugh_. 

Ward didn’t look at him once Nick climbed into the cruiser bitterly, but the Orc didn’t budge until his partner finally glanced over, meeting his irritated scowl. 

“I’m sorry-”

“Ever heard of knocking?” Nick barked, and Daryl’s hands raised in guilt. 

“You didn’t answer my calls,” Ward defended, but Nick only had another sarcastic glare. 

“Now you know why,” he grumbled, sitting back in the passenger seat. “What does Kandomere want now?”

“I’ll let them be the ones to spill the beans.” Ward mumbled, pulling out onto the street. 

He looked over suspiciously, but didn’t have the patience to question him further. Any little he had left needed to be saved for an encounter with their favorite agent. 

↠

“Leave of absence my ass,” Nick cursed under his breath, folding the papers given to them in angry jerks as they left the briefing room that Montehugh still occupied, just as put-off by the officers as they were of him. “They have witness protection program and hideouts for politicians but they can’t be bothered to let us out of the fucking city ourselves?”

“At least it’s paid, brother,” Ward tried, but he was just as irked. 

“Callie isn’t gonna buy accumulated vacation hours as an excuse if we end up sitting around for weeks,” 

“Neither will Sher,” 

The two both sighed, already exhausted and heading for the lockers. 

Truly, the two wished they could look forward to this unknown amount of time they got to spend at home, but keeping a cautious eye out for angry Brights, extra surveillance around their homes and keeping it from their girls was a few things that were too much to be contemplated with ease. 

Sergey was already there, smoothing down the velcro flaps of his vest against his ribs when he spotted the disgruntled officers trudging in. 

“Bad day before it’s started?” the rookie asked, and Nick only grumbled, having to re-enter his locker combination a few times in his impatience. A couple whiffs when he had walked by told him everything, and Sergey’s nose scrunched. “That time of the month, ha?”

Nick glanced at the young Orc cheerily looping his belt around himself, but now avoiding his glower.

It hadn’t occurred to Nick that his leave of absence would put him in the hands of another officers patrol, and not many of them had warmed up to his presence yet. It unsettled him further; what if he was stuck with one of the particularly crueler officers? Imagining them trying to frame Sergey for something outlandish wasn’t outlandish itself- it had almost happened to Nick, who says it couldn’t happen to the young one?

“Malinka,” Nick started after pulling his jacket off. “Starting tomorrow I’m going on an extended… vacation, which means you’re gonna be partnered with someone else,”

“Lucky man,” Sergey grinned; clearly he didn’t understand the gravity of Nick’s words yet. “Now I won’t be able to steal pieces of your lunch,”

“Sergey, pay attention,” Nick snapped quietly, stepping over as he buttoned his uniform. Sergey looked up, humor draining from his face. “You know how people here can be. They’re no different from the bastards on the outside, but here they have power. Do _everything_ by the books while I’m gone. Don’t put yourself into a situation they can use against you,”

“That won’t happen,” Sergey tried, but Nick shook his head, silencing him. 

“It _can_ happen, though. What have I always told you?” 

“Keep my temper even and make sure I go home to Dura,” 

“Don’t forget any of that, you hear? They won’t treat you the same without me here,” Nick added, and the young one nodded, his curiosity peaking at the sudden concern coming forth. 

“Everything okay old man?” 

Nick scoffed, hitting his shoulder as he turned back to his locker. “Just keeping an eye out for you,” he answered without looking, but it wasn’t just that. The thought of something dire happening to Sergey troubled him tremendously. The guilt that would inevitably befall him would surely be crushing if it was announced that he’d been injured or accused of partaking in something based on Clan Law like Nick had been. 

“Maybe I’ll do so well they’ll give me my own patrol early,” Sergey cracked, giving a wide, toothy grin that made Nick’s eyes roll.

“Yeah, maybe.”

↠

“Woah shit,” Callie cursed under her breath, steadying herself against the truck door after sliding down the seat. A hand remained on her impressive baby bulge as she waited for the dizzy rush to subside, blinking away the color storm before her eyes. 

A gentle shake of her head seemed to toss away the last of that one, and she grunted, stretching sideways over the high drivers seat to grab her purse and book from the center console before swinging the heavy door closed and locking Nick’s big Dodge Ram. With a hard puff and slipping her bag over her shoulder, she set to waddling through the parking lot, pulling her long hair up when she started to heat up a couple minutes into the trek to the entrance of the high risk clinic. 

Pregnant woman in every shape and size all exchanged kind and understanding smiles with her as she made her way through the lobby, almost all of them fanning their faces with another hand at the bend of their miserable backs. 

She boarded the elevator with another woman that had a little one already in tow alongside her late term belly, dropped low and looking as if she couple pop any day. The thin woman pushed her pretty red locks off her shoulder, smiling down at the little girl who’s curly hair matched her mothers, but hid behind her arm when Callie smiled at her. 

“Hi,” the little one piped.

“Hola hermosa,” Callie said softly. “She’s too cute,”

“Thanks, lucky for me she’s sweet too otherwise I don’t know if I could handle another,” her mother chuckled, her raspy voice reminding her of Rosie. “How far along are you?”

“20 weeks,” 

“Second?”

“First,” Callie grinned, and the woman's brows perked up. 

“Big for 20 weeks,” she observed. “Husband an Orc or something?” 

Callie swallowed. “He’s also like 2 heads taller than me,” 

The woman pulled air through her teeth, wincing. “Have fun pushing that one out,” 

The tension in Callie’s shoulders eased; revealing she was carrying an Orcs child was always a hit or miss, and thankfully this time the stranger had been kind and uncaring enough to not lecture or damn her. The elevator opened, and the woman tugged her pretty daughter along gently. 

“Have a nice day.” she called back to Callie, who in turn waved to the little one waving shyly. 

The heavy doors slid shut, and she pressed her floor again, grinning to herself. 

“Husband,” she said lowly, rubbing her stomach affectionately. “Think daddy will lose his mind if I start calling him that?” she questioned silently, but the insistent kicker that kept her up at night was slumbering, at least until she sat down somewhere. 

When she finally came to her floor, Callie wandered down the lonesome hallway, turning here and there before strolling into the waiting room. The plush seats were a welcome relief after waiting a bit for someone to come up to the counter, and after setting her bag and book down and crossing her knees with some difficulty, she went about filling out the extensive paperwork.

Halfling forms were vastly different from normal check-up sheets, according to Rosie who’d accompanied her once before. They wanted to know about Nick just as much as her, right down to his overall physical condition. 

It bugged her some once comparing these to normal human pregnancy forms; the numerous and sometimes oddly specific questions carried closely to that of questions you’d expect to see on breeding forms for animals then it did for a mother bringing life into the world. 

Regardless, she filled it all out, having memorized everything about Nick so she didn’t have to bother him while he was working. 

“Flores?”

She nearly dropped her clipboard in her haste to rise awkwardly and grab her belongings once called.

Callie almost couldn’t bare to look down at the scale after she kicked off her sandals, but still did, groaning when a few more pounds had appeared. 

“When does the gaining stop?” she whined, stepping off the scale. 

“When you pop ‘em out.” 

 

Her heels bounced softly off the examination table, looking down at the coflex tape holding the gauze in place after the blood draw, also eyeing the cookies and juice they’d given to compensate. 

_Eat the banana in your purse instead, you cow._

A soft knock at the door drew her attention, and in walked Dr. Sangiu, her luscious coils pulled back into a sleek bun. 

“Afternoon Miss Flores, how are we feeling today?” she asked cheerfully, pulling in an ultrasound machine behind herself. 

“A little deflated after that blood draw,” Callie cracked, and her doctor grinned guiltily. 

“I apologize for that, but how about we take a look at that baby?” she asked, and Callie perked up. All other tests and pokes could be forgotten if it meant she got a small glimpse of their tiny life every week. 

“Do I have to have another transvaginal one?” Callie asked, accepting Dr. Sangui’s hand in lowering her back onto the examination bed. 

“Every week, I’m afraid,” she answered, stepping to turn the lights off and jerking the probe jelly downwards before wiggling some onto Callie’s stomach. She went on to ask her the usual round of questions; how she was feeling, any bleeding, the usual. “Remind me how far along we are?”

“20 weeks,” Callie answered, fixing the tissue over her lap and crossing her ankles.

“So you should be well over feeling kicks by now. Developed your linea nigra I see,” she followed the dark line down her stomach with her finger.

“Cocoa butter only lightened it,” 

“That’s common, actually. Okay let’s see how we’re doing,”

It took only a few twists of the probe against her slippery stomach to find the baby, who as it turns out was just starting to wake from its afternoon nap. 

“Still upright, that’s good. Look at that big yawn,” her doctor smiled, holding the probe still so Callie could see it’s little mouth open, and even the fuzzy definition of a tongue before it wiggled it’s small hands before it’s face. 

“Nick would’ve killed to see that,” Callie whined lovingly, arms beneath her head and watching her nudger swirl and wiggle. “Still growing fast?”

Dr. Sangiu nodded, fingers flying over the keys to take shots and measurements. “Rounding out at a little over a pound and almost a foot long. Impressive size for this little guy at only 20 weeks,” she grinned, more tapping over the keys. 

Callie smiled, but then realization dawned on her, and she looked to the screen. “Little guy?”

Immediately, the doctors hand flew over her mouth, motionless a moment as she stared at Callie. “I am- I am so sorry, I’ve never made that mistake in my 8 years of practice,”

But Callie’s eyes were still glued to the screen, no readable expression across her placid brows or lips. 

“Miss Flores-”

“Can I see?” 

She stuttered a moment, before saying, “Of course!” and moving back to the machine. 

It took some clever pressing and turns of the probe, but eventually they found the baby’s little butt and moved up where she pointed and explained the anatomy. “You’ve got a baby boy on the way,” she still smiled, reserved that was. 

Callie’s big eyes welled, and she fought the tremble in her bottom lip she hid behind her fingertips as a torrent of excitement overtook her alongside bounding love she hadn’t experienced so strongly until that moment. All this time she’d tread cautiously around her own pregnancy, only allowing small moments of daydreaming here and there, but now knowing they were expecting a _Leo_ had her hands covering her face, hiding a teary, beaming smile. 

“Please accept my deepest apologies Callie, I truly-”

“No, no,” Callie sniffled, wiping her eyes. “Please don’t be sorry. We were close to buckling anyways,” she laughed. “I’m just excited,”

“I’m still so sorry. I can’t believe I did that,” the graceful doctor mumbled to herself, continuing on with the ultrasound. 

“Does he look good?” Callie asked, and she nodded encouragingly. 

“Still growing like an Orc, right along with the projections estimated,” she explained, but Callie noted the concern in her tone. “Let’s sit you up,”

Stiffly she sat upright, wiping her stomach with her eyes kept on Dr. Sangui as she moved the machine aside and grabbed for her chart to sit in the stool before her. 

“Do you remember your appointment a few weeks back when we spoke about the baby growing to full term before your body is ready?” she asked. Callie nodded. “Based on my projections and your ultrasounds, I’d expect your little boy to be ready to pop at about 34 weeks,”

“Not too early,” Callie figured. _Still enough time to get the rest of the furniture_.

“That’s not what I’m concerned about. He’s also a very big baby- I wouldn’t be surprised if he was easily a 10 pounder at birth or bigger, and if your body doesn’t happen to be in sync when he’s ready, a vaginal delivery could be extremely risky for a baby that big going over it’s due date,”

Her heart dropped into her gut. “Risky how?” Callie asked, a little forlornly.

“He could become stuck in your pelvis leading to suffocation, or you could hemorrhage seeing as your uterine wall is already thin and full of scar tissue. I’d even recommend an episiotomy to prevent tissue from tearing,” she went on, but clasped her hands before herself. “But right now, we need to discuss a plan of action to avoid all of that if your body isn’t ready for labor by the time _he_ is,”

“What would that be?” the expectant mother asked hesitantly. 

“If you’ve not started labor shortly after 34 weeks, I’d like to induce you, but have an OR on standby in case you need a cesarean,” 

“That fast? It wouldn’t even be okay for him to cook a week more?” 

“At the rate he grows, it could be the difference between a generally smooth labor or an extremely difficult one; one which we wouldn’t know the outcome for either of you,” 

Callie looked away, trying to make sense of it all. “What if I refused this?”

“You could be putting yourself and your sons life in danger if it came to that,” she answered bluntly.

Your son. 

_My son._

It put things into perspective a little better. What she carried inside wasn’t just a baby, but her child- her son. _Their_ son. 

Nick would be furious if she so easily refused the doctors advice and put her and their son at risk after all they’d gone through, simply because she had something more ideal in mind. 

“I’m sorry to have to burden you with this,” Dr. Sangui redressed, but Callie shook her head and waved away her apology. 

“It’s just a little scary,”

“Remember that this is a _back-up_ plan. There’s just as much a chance your body will do everything it needs to and you’ll have the delivery you want, so we’ll deal with that when we get to it, yes?” she grinned, the gentle squeeze of her hand around Callie’s comforting. 

Surely she wouldn’t shake the overall worry until she had him in her arms no matter what delivery befell her, but for that moment, she was okay with her doctors reassurance. 

“Have you started feeling Braxton Hicks yet?” 

Callie blinked from her daze. “Yeah, but they’re completely random,”

“Good, we want them to stay irregular, and it means your body is well aware of what’s going on if it’s doing test runs,” she explained.

“They freak Nick out,” she grinned, and Dr. Sangui laughed. 

“Wait until labor starts, he’ll be spinning. Okay,” another pat her on hand before she wheeled away. “Time for the other ultrasound,”

Trying to withhold her groan was useless as she scooted down the table and fixed the thin tissue covering her lap. 

“Do you have any names picked out?” Dr. Sangui asked as she lifted the stirrups. 

“We do for a boy, actually,” Callie grinned, laying back.

“Oh let’s hear it,” the elegant woman piped, snapping new gloves on. 

She cleared her throat in hopes her voice wouldn’t waver when she tenderly said, “Leonardo.”

↠

The door swung open wildly, and Callie stumbled through without spilling her Jamba Juice and kimchi stew take-out, or her purse that had plummeted from her shoulder and into the crook of her arm. Her phone still rang wildly in her purse, but trying to shove the door closed with her foot and ward off a jumping Pucca was near impossible. 

“Parra de brincar!” she snapped, and Pucca dropped her head, staring up sadly with pretty almond eyes. It took some close calls and almost throwing her smoothie, but finally she emptied her arms enough to angrily yank her phone out and answer in time. 

“Hey baby,” she exhaled, leaning against the counter. Trying to steady her breath with a baby attached was like trying to inhale with someone sitting on her back. 

“You alright?” Nick asked anxiously. 

“Yeah, almost dropped my dinner and crushed Pucca but I’m good,” Callie smiled, pinching the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “How’s work?”

“Pfft forget that, how’d the appointment go?” he asked in laughter, and Callie tensed up. She fought not to scream it at him. 

“It was good, everything is going good so far,” her voice was still bubbly.

“Yeah? How’s the baby growing?”

“Yeah, about that,” she started. 

“Oh fuck what?” he panicked. 

“No calm down, everything is okay. My doctor thinks I’ll be full term by 34 weeks, not the full 40,” 

“Oh. That’s definitely sooner,” he paused, and she could hear him counting under his breath. “That’s only 3 months away, holy shit. What’s the due date?”

“July 21st. She also said that if I don’t basically go into labor myself at 34 weeks, she wants to induce me,”

“That fast?” he asked, and she ‘mhm-ed’. “Is she that worried about the labor?”

“She is. She said L-” _oh_ , that was close. “That the baby could get stuck or I could hemorrhage,”

“Well fuck,” Nick sighed. “Fuck, baby,”

“That’s just a back-up plan. I’m gonna do everything I can to push this thing outta me on my own, _without_ a bunch of meds,” Callie said firmly, confidently, placing her Jamba Juice down hotly.

“When do you have to make a decision?”

“No- I don’t. It’s a _back-up_ plan, in case something happens. Either way I don’t have much of a choice anyways. If I didn’t accept the help if it came to that, it could kill us both,” 

“Jesus christ-”

“But that’s not happening, okay? So far everything is growing good and _going_ good,” Callie affirmed, but could hear him sigh, and could just see him running his hand over his head; it was his nervous tick. “I got more ultrasounds. Got to see it yawn today too, it was _so cute_ ,”

“Of course I miss the good stuff. My little girl look anything like me yet?” he played, and Callie bit her bottom lip when she smiled, holding the phone against her chest a moment. 

The shaky breath she took did nothing to calm her thumping heart. 

“About that-”

She could tell Nick was away from the phone when she heard him talking, and then the distinct shrill of the sirens from over the phone also. “Yeah, this one- yeah that. Cal I gotta go, but I’ll call soon, yeah?” he asked. 

“Yeah of course, be safe,” she grinned. 

“Yep, love you,” he returned. 

“I love you, bye.” she wiggled her phone into her hand, ending the call and Nick’s photo of a Snapchat cat filter over him while he slept faded from her screen. 

She placed her phone down, going back to the takeout that had been knocked around quite a bit. 

“When do you think I should tell him?” she asked out loud, but in a hushed tone, glancing down at her stomach. She’d felt the swirls start some time ago, after a few words passed between her and Nick that had stayed active, stirring further when her stomach growled. 

“Do you think daddy would be upset to find out even though he wasn’t there?” she asked, giggling. “Nah, he’ll be excited no matter what. I can rub it in his face a little, too,” 

_Everyone’s face, actually._

Pucca’s head tilted side to side, listening intently to Callie’s soft words.

“My little Leo,” lovingly she declared, her cheeks starting to ache from the constant smile plastered across her face. “We’ll tell him when he gets home.”

With her food sorted and ready, Callie moved from the kitchen to change, but Pucca’s typical trotting beside her stopped abruptly when she looked at the door, her ears pointed forward. Low, half barks started bubbling from her, and she even moved closer, her tail wagging slowly. 

Callie glanced back before moving down the hall. “Don’t you start.”

 

Her fist raised several times, her fingers resituating in her palm, but Tikka couldn’t bring herself to knock on the front door. Weeks of failed attempts and trying to find Ward on her own had brought her to this, her only cover being the dark of night and a wide hood over her platinum locks and pointed ears, but that wouldn’t work for long in a neighborhood like this; she was too out of place. She was at her wits end and still incredibly reluctant to involve Nick, but she didn’t know what else to do. 

She looked down as her hand dropped, the other pinching the bridge of her nose. 

Why was this so hard?

Again her fist lifted, but all she could muster was her hand rested on the door, her head hung. The conflicts in her heart and mind battled relentlessly. It exhausted her, leaving her desiring a full night's rest more than anything. 

A few low barks from the other side of the door made her flinch back, stanced and ready to bolt. 

“Don’t you start.” She heard a female voice say from inside, the barks heightening when Tikka stepped back quietly. 

_His wife… what if he’s not even home?_

That doubt alone was enough to draw her away from the door, across the front yard and walking briskly down the sidewalk. She drew her hands into her pockets, her hood still drawn over head. With one option left, she started to reason with herself. 

This last ditch effort could end only 2 ways: she could finally find Ward, or she’d be taken in by MTF, leaving Fero, and an unleashed Makhel to set LA ablaze, eventually uncovering the last of the Bright’s whereabouts and ending them. Still, these were met with more uncertainty. Anything could happen, or worsen. But with little advancements in the passing weeks, drastic measures needed to be taken if there was any chance left at stopping him. 

↠

“Do you got ‘em all?” Nick asked, his grip tightening around the arm of the vivacious teen they’d arrested that kept trying to jerk away. Nick scoffed, taunting, “Do you think you’re gonna run out of here?”

“Yeah- meet you at the pumps?” Sergey asked, and Nick nodded, walking into the station with the cursing teen who he could’ve easily picked up by the ankle and carried. 

The rookie didn’t envy Nick. Intakes were the dull part of the process, and he’d already lost his cool once trying to cuff that little shithead, resulting in a serious reprimand from Nick about not becoming one of the cops that let anger turn an easy arrest into next mornings newest scandal about the LAPD. Sergey chuffed, climbing back into the cruiser and swinging it around the few confusing turns to the back corner of the precinct where their gas pumps were stationed. 

Empty that night after another cruiser took off, and Sergey still waved despite the officer behind the wheel ignoring him. He did so more to bug them than actually expecting a return gesture. 

With the cruiser parked and tank filling after roaming around on empty a while, he leaned against its side, looking down at his phone that had a few messages from Dura he’d not been able to answer a few hours prior. He chuckled; her paranoia when he didn’t answer promptly was cute. 

Quick clopping of heels pulled his attention up, and he quickly found the hooded figure moving a little conspicuously around the cruisers, her hands shoved into the pockets of the elegant trench coat she wore. 

“Are you lost, ma’am?” Sergey called out kindly.

The rate at which she spun made him flinch, nearly dropping his phone, but by the time he’d gathered himself, a glowing, humming wand was pointed right at him. 

“Don’t,” the blue eyed girl snapped when he reached for his gun, the wand warbling louder in her hold. 

Sergey struggled to calm the pulse thundering in his ears, his palms turned up and trembling. 

Everything he’d been taught about de-escalation techniques had flown from his mind in the wake of panic, his mouth running drier than his confidence. Add in a Bright to the equation, he was downright terrified. He’d heard rumor of ‘trigger’ happy wand wavers and their ruthlessness; how was he gonna get out of this one?

“Where’s Jakoby?” she asked, but Sergy didn’t know how to answer. 

“Not here,” he forced out, and she took an intimidating step towards him. 

“Where!?”

“He- he’s booking someone!” Sergey’s back hit the cruiser. 

She looked around fleetingly, her fingers adjusting and tightening around the wand, a few side to side shuffles showing she wasn’t entirely confident in her actions, either. During one long look over their surroundings, he let his hand rest on his gun, and thankfully she didn’t notice when glaring back at him. 

“Call him,” she ordered. “Call him!”

Inwardly he cursed himself for flinching, slowly reaching for his shoulder walkie. 

“Jakoby, can you come to the pumps ASAP?” he spoke as evenly as possible, but also hoped his tone was enough to bring his partner to them quickly before this woman decided she didn’t need him anymore. 

“Gimme a few minutes kid,” the radio sounded, and both of them showed clear annoyance with his response. 

But it also got Sergey thinking that it might’ve been enough time for someone else to come along and at least scare her off. 

_Keep your temper even and go home to Dura._

“Maybe I can help you with what you need,” Sergey tried, but her expression was unmoving, as was the creaking wand. 

“No. Not you,” she ground out, but he still caught her accent, which brought together the alarming brightness of her eyes. 

He took a few low inhales, but couldn’t hide the scrunching of his nose. He hated how elves smelled. All of them sickly sweet; it leaked from their pores so pungently. 

“If you’re looking for an Officer I can assure you I can help-”

“I said not you!” she screamed, her voice breaking. 

“Tikka!”

Nick knew it was her before she even spun to face him. This had been long awaited, no matter how much he wanted to avoid or deny the possibility of ever seeing her again. His heart plummeted into his stomach, his eyes meeting Sergey’s fleetingly. 

“Jakoby,” she whimpered, face tightening with restraint. “Where’s Ward?”

“What’re you doing here Tikka?” Nick asked, his voice brought down to a plea as he approached her, his hands held up with the wand still pointed at him. 

“It doesn’t concern you,” she wavered. 

“You broke into my truck-”

“Where is he!?” she demanded, and when Nick’s eyes flew behind her, she again spun. 

“Sergey!” Nick yelled, but he’d already drawn his gun and pointed, but bullets were no match against magic. The attack wasn’t as loud as it was powerful, so much that Nick felt the kick-back from the blast after the concentrated, vibrating sphere of force hit the rookie at the center of his chest, throwing him back against the cruiser effortlessly. 

The wand pointed back to Nick, meeting his own raised glock, but he was having trouble telling if he could see Sergey breathing on the ground, his gun still in hand, otherwise motionless. 

Nick struggled to control his ragged breathing, ire shooting to every ending of his body. _Get up, Sergey. Get **up**._

Tikka’s hood had blown back, and he could finally see her entirely. What he could guess was years of hardship showed evident on her still youthful face, but the light in her eyes had dulled considerably since seeing her all that time ago. 

They stood, armed and ready to fire, but both unwilling. 

“Just tell me where he is,” she begged, her face sorrowing. 

“I can’t,” Nick’s tone was desperate, but his aim was steady. 

“Tell me! I can’t be here!”

“Then go! Get out of here, just leave!”

“No! I need him! I’ve been trying to find you all day now just tell me where Ward is!” she yelled, both hands moving to the wand. _Don’t make me do this_. 

Nick’s ears twitched, his eyes narrowing. “Where have you-”

“Answer me! I’m being followed I can’t stay here!”

His blood ran cold, his gun dropping to his side as he stepped forward, uncaring of the shrill ringing of the wand that was only inches from his chest. “Have you been to my home?”

“Jakoby _please_ -”

“Have you!?” he hollered, and she flinched. 

“I was only there a moment-”

Nick didn’t wait to hear anymore. He spun on his heel while his gun was holstered, ripping the walkie off his shoulder and tossing aside the one from his belt. Everything was forgotten, his thoughts tunneling; he had to get home immediately. Fuck the leave of absence tomorrow or reporting to Kandomere- fuck Tikka. If she’d just compromised Callie’s safety, it was best he wasn’t around her. He couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t lash out with all the anger that’d built over the weeks if he still stayed back there. 

He hadn’t smelled blood from Sergey upon leaving, and desperately hoped he was alive. 

He could feel panic coursing through him as he ran to his truck, throwing himself into the driver's seat. 

The engine turned hotly, but he wasn’t prepared for Tikka to be gracefully slipping into the passenger seat just as he’d started to back-up. 

“Get out,” he snapped. 

“No-”

“GET OUT!” he bellowed, his head shaking with rage. 

“If he’s there you’re going to need me!” she bit back just as viciously, and with confusion, and great reluctance, he went on to whip the truck wildly in reverse before the tires screeched across the pavement out of the parking lot. 

↠

Her tongue was pinched between her teeth, carefully and delicately, for the 8th time, writing Leo’s full name across another sticky note she planned to stick besides the one on the door that would be his room. Callie still wasn’t totally satisfied with her poor handwriting, but it was the best of the bunch so far. 

“That looks good, right?” she asked Pucca, holding it before her. The merle pit sniffed diligently, but lost interest when there was no treats hidden in her palms. “It looks decent at best, huh?” she went on, inspecting it closer. 

“Do you think he’ll even notice?” she also asked, but Pucca had trotted from the table to paw at her chew toy stuck under the couch, leaving Callie before a small pile of crumpled sticky notes and a mess of colored pens littered across the tables surface. 

Leo somersaulted, and she could imagine his impatience growing to be rocked again since she’d first sat at the table an hour ago to put together the little surprise. 

“Calmase, Leo,” she pleaded, sitting straighter. It felt like he was trying to stand up inside her stomach. Still, she couldn’t help smiling every time his name made it past her lips. She’d only dared saying it a few times since that appointment, more so not to antagonize her own dark thoughts that kept reminding her: _something could still go wrong_.

A loud, vicious bark from Pucca turned Callie with a hand against her chest, finding the pitbull stood beside the couch, her head in line with her spine and ears perked forward, staring at the door. 

“You know you’re gonna have to get over you obsession with opossums by the time Leo gets here,” Callie rolled her eyes, but then she noted the fur standing on her back, and the rippling, low growls emitting from her. Callie glanced at the door. 

“Pucca?” she said softer, standing. “What is it mija?”

Even when Callie leaned over to pat her side, Pucca continued growling, her lips pulled back over her impressive rows of sharp teeth. 

There was a harsh shuffle outside the door, and Callie flinched as Pucca lurched forward, barking wildly. 

Dread flooded her, as well as recollections of her past attack flying before her eyes. 

Of burning light coming in through a broken door, and the stinging pull of tape around her wrists while shattering blows struck her head. She could still recall the agonizing pain in her stomach, and the moment the doctors told her she’d miscarried. 

Her head felt light, her breathing rapid with her hand clutching her stomach.

_No, not again_.

A small wave of energy swam through the home, and everything around her went dark. TV, lights- even her phone on the table she'd been listening to music on, it all turned off.

“Pucca, Pucca! C’mon!” she hissed, moving back towards the hall as a low glow started to shine through the cracks of the front door. Her brows furrowed, her back hitting the entrance to the hallway.

When a loud whirring sounded from outside, Callie bolted, swinging around the doorframe to their room just as the door flung open with a thundering boom, bouncing harshly against the wall as wood splinters and smoke billowed in from outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh-oh.


	9. Tikka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING:** This chapter contains the demise of an animal companion, so if you've recently lost a little love or are sensitive to such content, please read at your own discretion! 😞

Wind punched down the hall just as swiftly as the front door had swung open, but Callie figured it gave her a few more seconds to scramble to her feet in the dark after the shockwaves from the blast had sent her sideways and she now squatted beside Nick’s bedside table, listening. 

What could’ve caused that light and the explosion, she hadn’t the faintest idea, but her questions only grew with every slow, menacing step she could hear crunching through the debris across the carpet in their living room. 

A hand was clasped tightly over her mouth, but harsh breaths still flared through her nostrils noisily no matter how she struggled to silence them. 

Pucca was no longer barking. 

She hoped and prayed with every fiber of her being that she’d run off-

“Tikka?”

She choked down a startled yelp. The vigor shooting to every end of her being still wasn’t enough to risk running, however. Instead she listened intently to the dust settling around them and the front door creaking on its loose hinges. At last the lights flickered back on, but their power wavered, dim in comparison to before.

“Where are you?” the smooth, male voice called sing-song like, more slow footsteps to follow. There was a low warbling sounding, and a glow casting against the hallway walls caught her eye. 

Sweat lined her brows, the shadow of a figure deforming the glow. 

Slowly, with hands that trembled fiercely, she reached for the drawer to the nightstand, the scraping wood making her cringe once she started to slowly pull it open. There was nothing steady about blindly reaching into the drawer, all the while keeping her wide eyes trained on the entrance to their room. 

The glow was gone, and it was silent except for the soft shuffling of the papers that were concealing the gun. 

“Hiding amongst humans now?”

The sound of their glass table shattering made her flinch and the gun clattered loudly against the small opening, but it was now clutched in trembling hands against her chest. Slowly- _painfully_ slowly, she ejected the magazine, which was thankfully full. But reloading it would make noise. This gun was suddenly useless if she couldn’t fucking load it. 

“Tikka-”

Loud, vicious barks came thundering into the house, and the distinct struggle of whoever Pucca had gotten her jaws around boomed down the hall, bookshelves behind the table cracking loudly under their battle. 

Callie sprung to her feet, bolting across the room and forcefully unlocking the sliding glass doors, uncaring of how they bounced back against the rails after she flew from the room. 

A sharp cry from Pucca inside made her falter and sob, but she still ran, tears burning her eyes, her heartbeat drumming in her ears as she shoved the heel of her palm against the magazine before pulling the slide back to load it. She whimpered and grunted, struggling to climb up the stone incline of their backyard, expecting her life to go dark at any moment. Something hit the back of her head, but she made it up and fought past the thick bushes lining the fence. With scratches across her arms and face, she pressed tightly against the wooden fence, taking a moment to breathe out loud rapidly, her hand clutching her stomach. 

Leo was swirling; she fought back a loud, suffocating sob as her face twisted. 

The familiar gliding of their sliding glass door brought her attention back to the yard, and she saw him. 

An Orc, a _young_ one at that, stalking to the center of the wide yard, and…

A glowing, creaking wand in his hand, thrumming with energy as he scanned the surroundings, diligently sniffing the air. 

“Tikka!” he bellowed, and Callie looked down to the gun, recalling the lessons Nick had given, more importantly how to secure her hold around it. Her forehead dropped to the pistol as shaking cries fought their way out, compromising her aim. 

She wanted to scream for Nick- this was happening all over again and she couldn’t call for him. 

By the time the tears had been wiped from her eyes enough to see, the Orc was slowly backing away, taking wide sweeps over the dark yard, concealing the glowing wand inside his jacket, and moving back into her house. 

Callie fell back against the fence, her palms pressing tightly against her eyes as she wept. It was impossible to calm the hoarse cries and horror shaking her frame, but she still tried. With pressure building around her skull, she let her head drop back, her arms crossed protectively over her stomach, mimicking Nick’s breathing exercises. 

But it wasn’t working fast enough, and Leo was spinning beneath her touch. 

She wiped her face, then rubbed her stomach, pulling air through her nose and out her mouth. 

“It’s okay, baby. We’re okay,” she whispered. “Mama’s got you,”

Her eyes cracked open, staring at the house. From where she was, it was like any other night. The neighborhood was still quiet, completely unaware of what had just happened. Maybe, luckily, someone had heard him shout and called the cops, but without her phone, all she could do was wait. Callie couldn’t muster the courage to venture in and find it, nor did she want to risk it. 

So she kept the gun in hand, letting the fearful tremble overtake her; there was no use trying to stop it. She counted Leo’s kicks, calming under her soft words and gentle caresses, and probably in part to her wild heart finally settling down. 

Fatigue started to blanket her comfortably. It felt too good to close her eyes; let her shoulders relax. She let her hands fall into her lap, still squeezing the Glock, but when Leo’s small, butterfly like kicks tapped, she half grinned, another tear rolling down her cheek. 

“Nothings gonna happen sweet boy. Daddy’ll be here soon.”

 

The Dodge jumped the curb harshly upon turning into the driveway, and Nick could’ve cared less if he’d crashed into the garage door. All that mattered was shifting it into park and jumping from the truck, flying across the yard to the front door barely hung on its hinges. 

“Jakoby!” he heard Tikka call, but he was already inside, his heart falling into his stomach as he took in the destroyed home, the shattered table- the blood across the carpet. 

His hands went to his head, his face tightening. It wasn’t Callie’s but the question still stood- where was she?

“Callie?” he called for her, spinning, searching wildly. “Callie!”

“Nick wait-” Tikka shoved into him, her wand in hand as she looked around. 

“Callie!” he called helplessly, stumbling towards the hall where more droplets of blood lead to their room. 

_No no no no-_

He was frantic, near hyperventilating, his vision tunneling as he looked around every corner and room, even throwing the shower curtain back. 

“Nick please listen-” Tikka tried again, but he yanked his arm from her hold, bumping into a wall. His world was spiraling, everything was crumbling around him. He didn’t want these walls without her presence warming them- he couldn’t keep this roof above his head if she was gone. 

He stepped into his room, searching, but there was only a dark room, and a cold breeze slipping in through the open sliding glass door. He tore the closet apart, throwing the chair aside, he even whipped the blankets off the bed, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He could smell her, but she was everywhere- it was useless. 

It was happening. The sorrow was leaping into his bones, aching his muscles, stinging his eyes. How could he find her?

“Calista!” he hollered, and the vest started to feel constricting around his chest. 

 

_What was that?_

Her crusty eyes cracked open, and immediately her back protested. Ugh, leaning against an old, splintering fence was miserable- 

“Callie!”

Her head snapped up, struggling to look through the darkness at the house with moving figures inside.

She grunted, struggling to sit forward. 

“Calista!”

“Nick?” she called, pushing through the bushes. 

 

Nick spun, moving to the sliding doors and looking out into the dark yard. 

“Baby?” he called, his cheeks stained with tears. 

“Nick!” came out of the bushes at the top of the stone incline, then Callie herself, sliding sideways down it. 

A strangled cry was punched from him, and he bolted across the patio and yard, reaching her just as she’d stepped off the raised stones and fallen into his arms.

She sobbed against him, clung with arms and legs around him, his embrace just as mighty. The dread draining from them was exhausting, and relieving, but still powerful as she held his face, kissing him sloppily, roughly, her cheeks misty as sobs continued to bubble from her. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Nick rambled, inhaling her deeply, knowing she was in one piece and untouched by any other. The tortuous thought had gut punched him while he ran blindly through his home.

“I’m okay, we’re okay,” she assured shakily, and he could feel the gun against the back of his head where she held. Though she insisted she was fine, he still held her, even after he set her on her feet to pat her down. 

Never had he felt everything so suddenly come close to ending like it did just those seconds ago, and now he didn’t want to let his everything go. 

“The baby?” he asked, parting enough to hold her stomach. 

“He’s okay, he’s still moving,” she sniffled, holding her hands over his. 

He wiped his face, pausing. 

_He._

_He?_

“He?” Nick cracked, meeting her big, glossy eyes. Her hands tightened over his.

“Leo,” she nodded, and his expression softened, his jaw shaking in words he wanted to form, but couldn’t. 

His fingers dug gently into the sides of her stomach, his thumbs swiping up and down, and he looked to her again to utter in a cracked voice, “It’s a boy?”

“Nick?”

He turned, finding Tikka at the center of the yard, her hands held before her nervously. Callie looked around him. 

“Who’s that?” she asked loudly as she approached, giving Callie the chance to take in her platinum locks and shocking eyes, or the- “Is that a fucking elf?”

“This is Tikka. Tikka, this is Callie,” Nick’s tone was clipped, brought down from cloud nine and plummeting back into weakly bridled ire. 

“Tikka?” Callie repeated, meticulously overlooking the elf taller than her who now stood close to Nick. 

“I can explain-”

“ _I_ will explain, all of it,” Tikka interrupted, timidly stepping under Callie’s hardened glare. “You were attacked, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, by an Orc with a wand,” Callie recalled, looking up at Nick’s widened eyes. 

“An _Orc_?”

“His name…” Tikka raised her hand, wavering. “His name is Makhel, and he was looking for me,” 

Nick’s brows wrinkled in confusion. “He followed you here?”

She swallowed. “I’d been here earlier looking for you,” she confessed, and displeasure upon hearing about her quest for Nick had Callie’s jaw clenching and shoulders rolling back. She couldn’t gauge exactly how they knew one another, and the sickening dread that they had possibly been... _romantically_ involved made her stomach roil. To think they maybe had been sexually involved? A few precautionary swallows did some to keep Callie from vomiting. 

“Why did you need me?” Nick snapped. 

“I was looking for Ward-”

“That’s why you broke into my truck?”

Callie’s head snapped in his direction. “ _She’s_ the one that did that?” Her shoulders moved from under his hold, and upon looking at the disbelief on her face, he realized the grave mistake he’d made in not telling her weeks ago. “How long has this been going on for?”

Fuck. “It’s a long story-” he tried, but Callie shook her head, and it was the first time the fury like protection in her eyes he’d seen in his own mother’s came through, but it didn’t surprise him. He knew this would happen if she found out, but still, he exhaled, his eyes pleading. 

“It wasn’t his fault-” 

“Shut up,” Callie turned on Tikka vehemently. “If you’re looking for Ward why did you go through Nick?”

“I couldn’t find him, and I thought if I could talk to him he’d know where he was,” Tikka was rubbing her tired eyes, swaying a little bit. 

The irritation left Callie rigid, resisting the urge to stomp off instead of ask anything rationally, and rubbing her forehead revealed that she was hot to the touch and sweating from her boiling anger alone. 

“I’m- I’m sorry, but we shouldn’t stay here,” Tikka touched Nick’s arm, and Callie cocked a brow.

“Where else are we supposed to go?” Nick asked hotly, stepping back into Callie’s space, but she remained pulled into herself, glancing at their home. Then it hit her.

“Pucca!” Callie shouted, darting off towards the house. 

“Callie!” 

“Pucca? Baby girl?” Callie called softly, fighting for a breath when she laid eyes on the blood splashed across the carpet. Dismay gathered in her gut, but she forced it silent, pushing open the spare room and stumbling into the bathroom before she came to the living room where there was more blood, some peppering the walls. Tears blurred her vision before a whimper bubbled up.

“Pucca? Nick call her!” Callie cried, leaning over the edge of the couch where she sometimes liked to curl up. 

“Pucca? C’mon girl,” Nick snapped his fingers, walking low towards the kitchen as Tikka watched from the hall, mindfully stepping around the stained carpet. 

A soft whine stopped them all, and they looked at one another. 

“Pucca?”

Another, and Callie spun, stumbling towards the shattered table, it’s base flipped over and the bookshelf behind it broken and scattered. 

“Pucca-” Callie called again, but then she saw her tail, thumping weakly against the ground. 

She yanked the table out of the way, finding her beneath the rubble of the bookshelf and the numerous books piled on top of her. 

“Callie wait-” Nick tried to stop her, moving her aside to do more of the heavy lifting. 

“Oh sweet girl, hold on,” Callie struggled, throwing the numerous books off of her. But when she lifted a particularly heavy one off her side, the pitbull cried loudly, head curling back to snap before struggling away once the bloody book peeled off her singed, open skin, revealing a jagged, gaping hole blown into her body. 

Callie’s hands retracted and the dismay flooded her again.

Pucca kept crying, dragging her body towards Nick who tried sweeping away some of the glass across the carpet, but she moved over it, uncaring of the small pieces digging into her fur and paws. Nick looked to Callie desperately as he pulled their pittie into his arms, wincing when she whined loudly, nervously licking his chin once she fell against his chest. 

Callie was already crying, moving closer to run her hands down Pucca’s cheek, trying to wipe away the blood pelted across her face. 

“She came back. When he was in the house she came back and protected us,” Callie barely got out, containing wet hiccups. 

The sting of hot tears pricked Nick’s eyes as he looked down, Pucca’s breaths shallow and rough. He could feel the warm blood pooling on his thighs from where he assumed the other side of the wound was opened, pulsing in time with her slow, heavy heartbeats growing fainter under his hand.

“I’m so sorry,” Callie sobbed, holding her head when their companion wiggled weakly to lick Callie’s hands. “I’m so so sorry,”

Nick’s thumb stroked her muzzle when she fell back into the crook of his arm, her tail no longer wagging. He could see it happening before his eyes; the pink of her molted nose paling, her eyes glazing over. He held his breath until he was sure he could let it go without coughing, but he still shook, petting her face softly. 

“You’re a good girl. You did good protecting mama. You’re my best girl, Pucca,” he spoke softly, and a feeble whimper made it from him when her tail wagged again. But with a small, breathless whine, her tail stilled, the labored rise and fall of her chest stopping as Nick kissed her head repeatedly, pinching his eyes shut when Callie leaned over her to sob loudly. 

He let her pull the slain pitbull from his arms, cradling her tightly against her chest. It was hard to comprehend- she was still warm, yet already so lifeless in her hold, more so than any deep sleep they’d jostled her from. She held her like she was a puppy, kissing her cheek and whispering comforting words as she passed on, thanking her endlessly for guarding her and Leo’s life with her own. 

Nick wiped his face crudely, moving to hold the back of Callie’s neck as she leaned against him, continuing to sob into the bloody fur of Pucca’s neck. 

Until then, neither realized how woven into their life Pucca was in every aspect. On days when anxiety was taller than Callie and Nick wasn’t around, she’d lay on the floor with her pitbull, curling an arm around her as Pucca licked her tears away, absolutely content with staying by her owners side for hours until the world stopped spinning and she could breathe again. When he’d return home in the AM hours and Callie was already sleeping, Nick would stay up eating with her curled against his side, a warm comfort after shitty days when he’d eventually start mumbling and leading to full-on therapy sessions. He’d sit her on the other side of the couch with a bone, pouring out all the pent up rage of a bad day until he was drained… and then he’d pat her head in thanks and go to bed. 

Immense guilt swept across him. 

Pucca wasn’t just their dog. She was family. They’d made one with her long before Callie had fallen pregnant, and neither had realized it until then.

He wiped away a stray tear that flew down his cheek, then looked up. 

Tikka was waiting, occasionally glancing at them while she nervously cracked her fingers at her sides. 

He chuffed loudly, standing. “You need to leave,”

“I can’t leave you two here,” Tikka replied firmly.

“You have to. Leave LA and take this shit with you-”

“I can’t,” she boomed as Callie was setting Pucca down, gently stroking her head a few more times. “I _need_ Ward,”

“Why?” Callie croaked, reaching for Nick’s hand to hoist herself up. 

Tikka’s eyes shot to Nick’s. “You know why,”

He exhaled, shaking his head. “He won’t do it,”

“He has to,”

“He _won’t_ ,” Nick maintained. 

“Do what?” Callie interrupted. 

Nick ran a hand down his face, holding it over his mouth as he stared at Tikka. She was just as resolute as he, but Nick feared all those weeks listening to Kandomere tell them she might be affiliated with Inferni again was true. He knew she had a wand tucked into her coat, an arms length away from his pregnant lover.

She could turn, and they’d be defenseless, even with his gun at his side or the one just on the floor beside them where Callie had dropped it.

Again, his hands were tied. 

“Fine. But what he decides I have no part of,” Nick exhaled, and Tikka’s shoulders visibly released their tension. 

“Thank you-” she had just started to open her arms for a hug when Nick held up his hand, halting her into confusion. 

“If he says no, you _have_ to leave-” 

Loud, wailing sirens drew all their attention, and the lights were coloring the houses outside in flashes of red and blue as they grew closer. 

“Did the alarm go off when he broke in?” Nick turned to Callie, but she shook her head. 

“It hasn’t made any noise,”

He turned back to the entrance. “It’s MTF,”

“M… Magic Task Force?” Callie asked in disbelief, having only heard rumors of the shady branch. 

“Do you know where he lives?” Tikka asked, pulling the wand from her inner coat. Immediately it started to glow gently, a soft hum emitting from it. 

“Hooo my god,” Callie stared in wonder, nearly tripping over her own feet when Nick moved her behind his arm.

“Y-yeah, we have to figure out how to get out of here though so they don’t see us,” Nick looked towards the back doors, but moved into Tikka’s palm just as he’d grabbed Callie’s hand to move away. 

“Picture it in your head,” she instructed, keeping her hand against his chest as she raised the wand above him. 

“Tikka-” Nick said worriedly, shielding Callie completely. 

“Hang onto her!” she yelled above the sudden whirring of the wand, the sirens blaring before his house. 

“Tikka!” Nick hollered, his arm throwing around Callie as she pressed tight into his side, flinching when the wand was thrust between them. It stopped stiffly as if it’d hit a barrier, but then the air around them cracked like thunder, the lights flickering madly.

With her eyes pinched closed and hanging onto Nick with all her strength, it felt like the ground was pulled from beneath them, but just as quickly, they landed right back on their feet with another thunderclap moving around them. 

Her eyes opened, but the first thing she noticed was the contrasting silence of the quiet neighborhood they were in without the sirens encroaching on them anymore. She had no idea where they were, or how they’d gotten there in 2 seconds, but there was something more pressing working it’s way up her throat. 

Both of their throats, actually. 

Nick veered away just as she’d stumbled over to a road drain they were beside, vomiting her stomach contents into a storm drain. She could hear Nick doing the same over someone's lawn, looking at her just as she looked over at him, bother their eyes watery. 

“What happened?” she forced out, spitting the remains from her mouth. 

“We Carried,” Tikka answered, seemingly unaffected by the transfer as she tucked her wand away. 

“Carried?” Nick croaked, blowing his nose forcefully. 

“From your home to… here? Is this where Ward lives?” Tikka looked around, walking by Callie who still leaned on her knees and glared hatefully as she moved by. She spit again, almost clipping Tikka’s heel. 

“You okay?” Nick asked, rubbing Callie’s back. 

Weakly she nodded. “I’m okay,” she stood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand to just wipe on her tights. 

“The bab-” he cleared his throat, composing himself. “Leo? Is Leo okay?” he asked, grimacing when his voice broke. 

She wanted to stay furious. She wanted to stomp away and give him nothing like he’d done so again when he decided to keep this fucking mess from her… but she couldn’t bring herself to that level. Not when he was so clearly terrified for both of their well-being, and how his hand reached to touch her stomach fleetingly, withdrawing awkwardly back to hang off his utility belt. 

“He’s angry he hasn’t gotten his second dinner yet,” she grumbled, and Nick scoffed softly, holding her cheek as he leaned over to leave a lingering kiss on her forehead. 

“Which one is his?” Tikka called back at them, and Callie made a noise close to one of Nick’s chuffs. 

“I don’t like her,” she stated loudly, turning to look at the platinum blonde elf looking here and there, her hands raised in question at Nick. 

“This will be over soon,” he stated confidently, but Callie scoffed. 

“You’re not gonna be off the hook that easily,” 

Their eyes met, leaving Nick wanting to hide from her killer gaze. He still nodded sheepishly, inwardly relieved she didn’t pull away when he laced his fingers with hers to lead the way. They caught up to Tikka, veering away from walking down the middle of the quiet street, still glancing over their shoulders nervously every 5 steps. 

“Stay here,” Nick pushed back on Tikka’s shoulder when she tried following him up the walkway to Daryl’s home, unsure if leaving Callie there also was best, but he didn’t know if bringing her to a confrontation was a good idea, either. 

The women stood awkwardly, Callie swaying when Leo poked fervently and Tikka staring intensely at Nick. 

Nick withheld a loud groan; the quiet of the neighborhood only made his home seem the more peaceful, and here he was to ruin it. He kept his footfalls quiet moving up the steps, and his fist hesitated before knocking. He wished more than anything Ward would’ve been out that night doing anything, but he answered his door rather quickly, clad in a white undershirt and sweats, glaring at Nick in full uniform. 

“What-”

Nick’s hand raised. “Are Sherri and Sophia here?” 

Daryl’s expression washed over. “What?”

“Are they?”

“No, they’re out, now what the fuck are you doing here?” Ward demanded, and Nick noticed the beer in hand. 

“Before I tell you anything, you have to swear you’re not going to flip out,” Nick urged. 

“You can’t say that and expect me not to,”

“Swear,”

“Jakoby-”

“Swear!”

“Fuck, fine- I swear!” Daryl crossed his arms angrily, brows perking up in impatience when Nick wavered. 

With a long sigh, the Orc stepped aside, revealing Tikka stood beside Callie on the sidewalk. 

Ward nodded, looking between Nick and Tikka calmly. “Fuck that,” he muttered, turning on his heel. 

“Ward-”

“Fuck that,” he called back. 

“Ward!” 

“No!” He spun, vein bulging across his forehead and cellphone in hand. “You said yourself-”

“I know-”

“You get her the _fuck_ away from my house and get her the _fuck_ out of here!” Ward bellowed, spitting mad. 

“Shut up and listen!” Nick roared, silencing his partner, but not the heated, heaving breaths he took. “You know I wouldn’t just drive her across town and bring her here- you fucking know that. But she has a wand and is out there with Callie and I need you to _help me_ ,” Nick said through gritted teeth. 

Ward shook his head, turning away to idle some. “I don’t need this, man. We can just call Kandomere!” 

“She’ll know as soon as we get on the phone,”

“Not if we keep her out there-”

“I can’t keep her out there with Callie!” Nick rasped hotly, eyes wide in frustration as he followed Ward farther into his house. 

“We outran Leila and those two other elves we can outrun her-”

“WARD. SHE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SO SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!” Nick’s voice was as restricted as possible, but the ferocity of it still carried through the house and outside where the girls caught the end of it.

 

Callie shook her head, resting her forehead in her palm as she swayed from side to side. 

Her back was aching. 

The cold cement was soaking through her socks. 

And she couldn’t stop thinking about Pucca. Everytime she caught sight of the blood smeared across her hands, it hit her. Callie fought the tremble of her lips, but all she wanted was to be home and taking care of what was left of her dog. 

Tikka glanced over, her sight continually falling to Callie’s stomach as she rocked from side to side, mumbling under her breath to who she guessed was the baby. Being this close, it gave Tikka time to finally observe the woman she’d only had fleeting glimpses of before. The one who Nick so clearly would throw his life before. 

He’d bared witness himself to the power of a wand- the damage it could inflict, the torture- but he still so easily stepped before hers, ready to defend this _Callie_ person who in her opinion, wasn't very kind. 

Tikka checked herself. 

It wasn’t just _her_ he was protecting, though. 

Callie turned back when the men’s voice escalated, and they could see Nick and Daryl moving back and forth inside, but nothing urged either of them to go running up the steps to step in between that fight. Tikka needed Daryl calm and level headed before she spilled her guts. 

They glanced at each other, but Callie looked away first. She couldn’t stare too long without bitter images filling her head. 

“I never expected Nick to settle down,” Tikka said suddenly, and carried an innocent grin when Callie looked back. 

When she turned to face her fully, Tikka’s smile melted away. 

“Do you and Nick have history?” It came out bluntly, but her unsteady voice revealed her false confidence. 

The elf blinked a few times, face scrunched in thought until she said, “I don’t know if one night counts as history,”

Reminding herself that any ‘history’ between them had been years ago flew to the forefront of her mind just as quickly as her heart had sank, but her own reassurances couldn’t keep up with that sickly plunge of emotions heavying her body. 

_‘History’ could mean anything_. She looked back to Nick, and the tremble in her heart was moving across her body. _‘History’ is still something, though_. 

“Well that’s just great,” she said below her breath, pushing her fingers back through her hair as she turned away. 

Tikka at first watched Callie move in discomfort, and could’ve sworn she heard the telltale wavering breath of a small cry withheld, but the dome shape of glowing light from miles away peaking over houses like a sunrise caught her eye. It grew in intensity, and it didn’t surprise her when the wand tucked securely against her side started to tremble. 

Tikka held her side, the alarm raising goosebumps on the back of her neck. 

“We have to go,” she rasped, and Callie turned to look at her, but followed her line of sight to the glowing dome. 

“The fuck?” Callie muttered, head cocking. 

“We have to go,” Tikka had grabbed her hand, but Callie jerked it away. 

“Not without Nick,”

“I need Ward!” Tikka stressed, looking back to the men. It appeared Nick still wasn’t any closer to getting him out than he was minutes ago as Daryl circled his home, waving his hands and shaking his head. The words passed between them were unintelligible and irate, and Nick was becoming just as booming as Ward as it continued. 

“What is that?” Callie asked, looking back at the dome of light that was drawing sirens in from all across the city, and she suspected soon that helicopters would start circling it. 

Tikka looked between it and the men, and made the split second decision as she withdrew the wand creaking inside her jacket. 

 

“Do we look convincing?” Nick muttered, stood with his fists against his hips and glaring falsely at Ward who in turn was glaring just as heatedly at him. 

“I think so. I don’t know if she’d do anything if we didn’t,” Daryl replied, scrolling through his call log on his phone with strained eyes cast downwards while keeping his chin up, trying to maintain a forward looking appearance. 

“Make the call then we stall as long as possible,” Nick restated, trying to mask his nervous side stepping, but leaving Callie out there as long as he had left him on edge. “Weren’t we supposed to have surveillance outside our houses by now?”

Ward shrugged, that same question popping up in his mind a few times earlier. They waited, the low ringing from the phone dragging on and on. 

Both of them tensed when it abruptly halted. 

“Hello?” Kandomere’s voice came through. 

“Can you hear us?” Daryl asked at normal level. 

“I can,”

Daryl looked at Nick, swallowing. “She’s here,”

There was a pause from the phone held near his hip. “Are you sure?”

“She’s outside,” Nick replied, crossing his arms as he shifted back and forth uneasily. 

There was another pause, and Ward was sure he could hear the faint screech of tires peeling against the road and disconnected shouts from Kandomere. “We can be there in 3 minutes,”

They both made noises in distaste. “I thought we were supposed to have MTF at our houses keeping an eye out,” Daryl snapped. 

“We thought she was at a different site,”

“What site?” Nick asked. 

“Nick!”

Callie’s panicked cry urged Nick to go running even before he fully processed what he was seeing as he raced back outside, but he stopped abruptly a few feet before the girls, his palms turned up in compliance as he approached Tikka holding Callie around the shoulders, the humming wand pointed at her stomach. 

He was angrier than he was terrified, trying to repress loud snarls and growls as he watched his pregnant lover struggle against Tikka’s hold, her eyes kept on his fearfully. 

“Tikka,” Nick started lowly, Ward joining him quickly and cursing lowly. “Let her go,”

“We need to leave,” Tikka only fired out, tightening her grip around Callie who was bending away from the wand pointed terribly close to her stomach. “We all need to go,”

Kandomere had said 3 minutes, but Nick didn’t know if he could keep her placid for that excruciatingly long amount of time. He saw the glowing dome of light drawing sirens and attention from every corner of the city, but he could care less. The world could be crumbling beneath their feet and he wouldn’t care. 

“Let her go and we can talk,” Nick took a small step, but Tikka thrusting the wand closer made Callie yelp, her eyes pinching shut as she flinched. 

Nick let out a noise close to a thundering, brief roar, but it drew out into a growl, his lips pulled back over his sharp teeth. If she weren’t pregnant, tackling them both could’ve been an option- anything to get her away from Tikka. 

“Tikka,” Ward stepped in, holding Nick’s shoulder. He could see the Orc inching towards them, but couldn’t trust he was in a calm enough frame of mind to deescalate the standoff. “Talk to me,”

Tikka took a breath. “We need, _to leave_ , all of us,” she said slower. “He’ll be here soon,”

“Who? Who will?” Daryl asked, getting closer than Nick had gotten, his arms extended just far enough that he was able to touch Callie’s arm. 

“There’s not enough time, we need to go,” Tikka took a step back, and Callie was borderline crying, staring at Nick. He was desperate, terrified, taking another step forward and trying to resist the furious rage that shook his body. 

A loud crack of thunder rang through the air around them, and they all looked down the road, but couldn’t see what had appeared around the bend of the street. 

Ward’s eyes flashed to the wand with Tikka distracted, and he acted. 

He grabbed it, the sharp ringing immediately growing as did the brightness, singeing his hand as he fought to yank it from her grasp. 

She screamed for him to stop as she held onto Callie, but Nick had lurched forward to grab the arm around her, all of them screaming in a twisted circling of tugging and shouting, all trying to avoid a blast from the wand. As much as she tried to move towards Nick, it only drew her closer to the screaming wand that Ward and Tikka battled for, both of them pulling forth an immense amount of power that was starting to make the air around them shake. 

It only took another fleeting glance to catch sight of the Carried figure bolting towards them down the road, but she didn’t wait for him to draw his wand, and there was no time to make sure everyone had ahold of each other. 

With every fiber of strength she had, she tore the wand from Daryl’s hold to bring it all between them, and luckily Ward had grabbed hold of her wrist again with both hands. Callie yelled for Nick, clung to him forcefully as he’d just gotten Tikka’s arm to loosen, but then another deafening crack rang in the air above them. 

This time, they all landed much less gracefully, as if they’d been pushed off a ledge, scattered and sore, their eyes adjusting to the darkness around them. 

The nausea wasn’t as strong this time around, at least to Callie who was struggling to sit up, but could hear Daryl emptying his guts somewhere closeby. 

She grunted, her body protesting as she tried to sit up, but it felt like her form had been curled backwards and spun around a pole. The pounding in her head was severe, and upon feeling something warm leak down her cheek, she followed it to her ears where blood was trickling out. She whimpered, managing to get up on her knees and look around at the dark room with a bed against one wall, some sparse furniture here and there. It was wide, and open with a few doors to god knows where closed all around them.

_A hotel?_

“Nick?” she called, looking around. 

“Cal?”

She turned too fast, her head throbbing. “Nick?”

One of the doors threw open, and Nick came wobbling out, finding her quickly.

There were no words as he knelt beside her, pulling her in for a bone crushing hug. Callie whimpered, burying her face against his chest as he bore all of her weight, both of them melting into the embrace. She moved her arm from between them to wrap around his shoulders, stroking the back of his head as he parted enough to hold her stomach, exhaling when the comforting kicks beneath his touch settled the last of his most prominent fears. 

His forehead rested against hers, the two breathing together as they felt Leo kick and swirl, her hand coming to rest over his. 

“What happened?” they heard Ward croak, crawling from the bathroom and looking around the dark room. 

“You Carried,”

All of them flinched from the voice behind them, the form of a man standing against another door frame appearing. 

“Calm down, I won’t do anything,” Fero waved his hand nonchalantly, his platinum curls giving his identity away before he reached to flip on the lights. Before them, a lean elf dressed in all black and seemingly casually, looking over the three that were shaken and injured from the messy jump. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Daryl rasped, sat back against the door to the bathroom. 

“Fero,” he answered, still at ease. 

“Where’s Tikka?” Nick asked, leaned over Callie’s lap protectively. 

“Passed out. She got the worst of it,” he answered, his grisly tone terribly off putting to the trio. 

“I’m fine,” came Tikka’s voice, then her wobbling form bumping into Fero as she ambled from the room he stood before. Her eyes were bloodshot, blood staining her lips and chin that had spilled from her nose and her color ashen and sweaty. 

“What did you do to us?” Ward coughed. 

“We Carried but it was a bad transfer. You were all moving too much,” she said harshly. 

“You had the fucking wand against Callie!” Nick hollered. 

“We had to go-”

“You keep saying that but you’re not telling us anything!”

“Enough!” Fero shouted, silencing them all. 

Nick wasn’t shy about showing his displeasure, whether it be in low growls or harsh glares, flashing between Tikka who looked on meekly and Fero who seemed entirely unphased by it all. Heat was gathering under his skin, but sweating wouldn’t stop this. Being in heat never proved to be so dangerous. He knew if he was provoked just enough, he’d react out of character. Hurting someone in this condition wasn’t so far fetched with all of this stimulus, but bridling the rage once it started would be near impossible. 

“You go sit down,” Fero ordered Tikka gently, pointing to a spot on the bed beside Nick, who in turn rose quickly to pull Callie up and away. “She can’t do anything,” Fero added, rolling his eyes. 

“Firstly,” Fero reached in his pocket, pulling out two phones. “Kandomere? Really? You called the Elf Killer?” 

Ward and Nick were both patting their bodies, utterly confused as to how he’d snatched them so quickly. 

“Who?” Callie asked around Nick’s shoulder before lowering into a chair behind him. 

“You realise he would’ve shot her if he’d made it there, right?” Fero asked, tossing the phones aside. From afar, it was clear he’d done something to them if he so uncaringly left them out in the open. Useless now. 

“That’s not our problem,” Ward snapped. 

“Oh ho ho but _I_ would’ve been _your >_ problem if it had happened,” Fero smirked. 

“Fero get on with it,” Tikka grumbled, using a stray shirt to wipe the drying blood from her face. 

The lean elf switched shoulders to lean on, crossing his arms. “What do you wanna know first?”

“Who’s following you,” Nick barked, startling Tikka who looked at him with hooded eyes. 

“His name is Makhel, and he’s a Bright hunting down other Bright’s, including us,” 

“And he’s an Orc,” Tikka added. 

“Which explains why he’s acting like a wild animal,” Fero said lowly. 

Nick stepped forward with a loud growl, but Callie grabbed his hand, pulling him back. 

“Cut the shit talking and get on with it,” Ward exhaled, holding his throbbing head. 

“He’s the first Orc Bright we had at our base but because of some… events, he turned and has been picking us off one by one,” Fero explained. 

“Events?” Callie asked. 

“He was constantly harassed by the other Brights for being Orc. Both him and Rania,”

“Let me guess, the others are all Elves?” Nick asked snootily, glaring intensely at Fero when he turned his metallic eyes on him. 

“It’s not often you see a pig with a wand,” Fero snapped back. 

“Talk a lot of shit for someone who’s running from a pig with a wand,” Nick fired back.

“Both of you!” Ward interjected, silencing the irate men. “Just fucking get it over with!” 

Fero let his eyes linger on Nick’s before adjusting his shoulders again, saying, “He lived at our base for about a year before the halfling was attacked-”

“Fero! Enough!” Tikka yelled, sitting upright, and now he turned away in shame, his eyes flickering back to hers nervously. “Her name is Rania, and yes, she is a halfling,” 

That sparked both Nick and Callie’s attention, her expression softening. “What happened?” 

“She was cornered by three of our students,” was all Tikka detailed, her face dropped. “Makhel lost his senses after it and stole one of our wands. He’s been killing us off one by one, but what makes him dangerous is how _gifted_ he is. I’ve never seen so much power and talent in one individual. He’s learned Castoff spells and Rebounds faster than we could teach, and with Rania by his side, they’re quite the team,”

“She’s a Bright too?” Nick asked. 

“She is, but she’s a very gentle girl despite her hand to hand combat skills. I don’t think she went with him willingly, but more out of desperation,” Tikka elaborated. 

“So he needs to be stopped,” Ward stated, Fero and Tikka both nodding.

“Which is why we needed you,” Tikka turned to face him. “He’s killed countless and anyone who’s left has gone into hiding, including Shield of Light,”

“Why do you need me if you have him?” Daryl gestured to Fero, who’s eyes cut away. 

Tikka sighed. “He’s been Dismantled,”

“What?”

Tikka stood, shakily walking over to her lover who looked down at his feet instead of the eyes around him, still refusing to look when she held his hand. “Makhel stripped him of his powers. He can hold a wand,” she started, passing off hers, but as soon as he turned the wand in his palm, it darkened, and silenced. “But nothing more,” 

The others watched him pass it back, glancing at Tikka with shame in his eyes, but all she had was undying love in hers as she gazed at him. 

“So you and this Orc have been jumping all over LA reaping havoc?” Ward asked. “How long has he been chasing y’all?”

“Almost 3 months,” 

“Why’s he stayed on your tail for so long instead of looking for anyone else?” Nick asked. 

“It’s my fault what happened to Rania,” she said bluntly, shaking her head when Fero argued otherwise. “Keeping peace amongst Bright’s is tricky. A normal dispute can turn into a catastrophe, but that doesn’t excuse what I let slip under the radar. He has every right to feel the way he does, but he’s taking it out on the wrong people and I don’t think he has sound reason or rationality left in him,” 

Callie looked up from her stomach. “Rania is an Orc-human halfling?”

“No, she's Orc-Elf,” Fero answered, calmly. 

Callie looked up at Nick, unknowing of why that unsettled her, and his soft touch running down the back of her head did little to calm the unrest, but she still leaned into his side. 

“So you got a psycho and his girl chasing you through LA, and you need me why?” Daryl asked, moving onto his feet. 

“We need another Bright to help take him down,” Tikka said, turning. 

Callie’s eyes widened. “You’re a Bright!?” 

Tikka flicked the wand to him, and although it rang as if irritated and glowed inharmoniously, he could still hold it easier every time he came into contact with it. He looked down at it vexingly, shaking it to try and rid it of it’s annoying humming. 

“He is, which means you’re part of an endangered race now,” Fero nodded, his mouth in a straight line. 

“All this time we knew a Bright and didn’t know,” Callie hit Nick side with the back of her hand, grinning up at him, but that smile faded when he only shrugged. Her eyes narrowed. “Did you know?” 

“He was there when I found out,” Daryl stated, tossing the wand back to Tikka. “Same night we met her,” 

“The history,” Callie mumbled. 

“The what?” Nick asked, leaning down. She waved her hand. 

“Would y’all even let me refuse if I wanted?” Ward asked. 

“That’s out of our hands, actually. Kandomere has MTF out looking for you two, maybe three,” Fero pointed at Callie, “And Makhel saw you all before you Carried,”

“What-”

“He was coming at us, that’s why I wanted to leave,” Tikka revealed. 

“You had the wand pointed at her,” Nick inclined, snapping. 

“You spazzed out beforehand- at that weird glowing light,” Callie stepped in. 

“That was a diversion. That’s a timed spell to keep people distracted. He was luring in MTF and then you called Kandomere, giving us up,” Tikka pointed at Ward. 

“You gonna tell me he knows how to hack into cell towers now?” 

When neither of the elves answered, Nick and Daryl both looked at them in disbelief, their arms falling to their sides. 

“We teach them how to keep all their tracks covered. That means knowing how to keep track of others,” Tikka mumbled, blinking away the last of her double vision. 

Nick sat on the window sill, exhaling. “We can’t stay in LA, can we?” 

“It could prove troublesome with MTF probably combing the streets for all of us,” Fero figured. “Getting out won’t be an issue. It’s deciding _where_ ,” 

Silence drifted between them all, pondering inwardly. 

“Mexico,” 

They all looked to Callie. 

“Is it true MTF doesn’t operate there?” she asked, and Tikka nodded. 

“They don’t specialize in that kind of magic,” she confirmed. 

“Why?” Nick asked. 

“Witchcraft is different from magic,” Fero said. 

“Brujeria,” Callie murmured. 

“Doesn’t that mean we’d have to worry about them interfering?” Daryl asked. 

“No. They cast magic through herbs and incantations so they move slower,” Tikka explained, portraying a stirring motion with her hands. 

“My mom always used to say my grandma used brujeria to watch over us,” Callie said below her breath. 

“Are we really considering Mexico?” Nick butted in. 

“It makes sense. Once we’re over the border they won’t know we’re wanted,” Tikka nodded, all of them starting to reason with the suggestion. 

“My family has that house in Herradura, we can stay there,” Callie looked up at Nick who almost couldn’t believe she was contributing to this. “We can’t just go there and hang out on the streets,” 

Tikka stepping over to stand before Daryl drew all their attention, and with discomfort, he stared down at the bright eyed elf who wouldn’t let his gaze wander. 

“It’s more than a lot to ask this of you, but I don’t think you have a choice any longer. Makhel saw all of us. He knows your faces now,” she took another half step towards his solid form. “Please. Please help us,” 

Ward’s head shook slowly, gnawing his inner cheek. “I don’t know shit about spells,” 

“We can teach you,” Fero nodded, his cocky tone having come down to a bearable manner. 

Ward crossed his arms, stiffly swaying side to side. “Why? Of all the places you could’ve gone and people you could’a asked-”

“Because everyone is gone,” she cracked, her frown tightening. “I wouldn’t have come here if I had any other option,”

“But do you see what you’ve done? It’s not just me- it’s them too!” he pointed angrily at Nick and Callie. “It’s their baby you’ve involved in this shit! What if I never get to see my daughter again? What if we all lose?” he demanded, and although she flinched under his booming words, she stood strong, looking up at him with misty eyes. “But I guess we don’t have much of a choice at this point, do we?”

There were no words of comfort to offer. No brilliant speech how they’d come out of this victorious simply because they were all united. There was no guarantee any of them would come out unscathed, or even alive, because it was true. They were all tied into this now whether they liked it or not. 

“I’m sorry,” she ground out, a tear slipping down her cheek. 

Ward moved away, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head hung in his hands. 

Fero pushed off the doorframe to join Tikka, speaking to her lowly and wiping the stray tears trailing from her cheek before turning to the rest. 

“Before we leave, you all have to change, especially _you_ ,” he pointed at Nick clad in full LAPD uniform. “And you need shoes,” he then pointed to Callie. Tikka handed him the small wad of cash and stolen cards she had in her old and tattered messenger bag before she stepped into the bathroom quietly. 

“I can’t just wear anything,” Callie pointed out.

“I can see that. Small and round shouldn’t be hard to find,” he nodded, and she glared at him before Nick chuffed loudly. “Oh shut up. What’re you, about a large?” Fero leaned back to look at Ward, only receiving a quiet nod. “You’re size huge,” he cracked at Nick. 

This time Fero growled back when Nick lashed one out, but the elf smirked as he slipped out, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head. 

“What a dick,” Callie noted, but when Nick looked down to grin, she was curling an arm over her stomach while the index and thumb of her other hand rubbed her tired eyes. Clearly that was all annoyance, and not an attempt to lighten the mood. He wanted to scoop her up and hold her, but the way she’d leaned away from him after releasing his hand made him feel… removed. 

_“You’re not gonna be off the hook that easily.”_

 

This particular pair of uniform pants now belonged in the trash. Blood rarely came out of clothes, but the scent of Pucca's blood would never lift from the fibers. He tossed them aside uncaringly after changing, thankful Fero had included new jeans in the clothes he'd brought for everyone.

He had stopped retying his boots to initially glance at her, but stopped once his eyes fell on her stomach, and more notably the way her brows knit together in discomfort. He sat straight, watching carefully. They’d started a few days ago, and by the looks of it, they weren’t going to stop anytime soon. She’d sat and explained the ‘test runs’ her body was doing the first time he almost rushed her to the hospital, but it didn’t lessen his constant worry. How would they know the Braxton Hicks weren’t actually early contractions? Especially now with all these added stressors?

“Hurt?” he asked, and she shook her head. 

“Uncomfortable,” she replied tersely, tapping her foot impatiently. 

Nick finished tying his boot and stood to walk over just as she’d slipped on the new shirt that thankfully was stretchy enough to cover her bulging stomach, and stopped before her. She was pulling on jeans angrily and then a sweater, all the while avoiding his gaze, even when she tied her long hair into a ponytail. 

His fists clenched nervously at his sides. “I’m sorry-”

“Shut up,” she bit back, finally looking at him with glossy eyes. “Shut up. It doesn’t fix any of this,” 

“I thought-”

“That I wouldn’t find out? That it would all go away, what?” she demanded, but he just looked at her forlornly. “What?” she cried, hitting his chest. 

“I didn’t think this could happen,” he argued, his voice betraying him. 

“Why couldn’t you just tell me? Why?” she was tearing up now, her small fists coming against his chest angrily, continuing to fight past his hands holding her arms. “What do we do now?”

Her hits were becoming weaker, her body trembling with withheld sobs. “How- how do we keep Leo safe?” she hiccuped, her body falling into his when she finally gave up, and let him hold her crying frame. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he rambled sadly, bearing her weight. 

Nick looped his arms under hers, embracing with as much force he could safely surround her with, his face buried against her neck as she sobbed. Her arms at last looped weakly around his broad shoulders and she was boneless as much as she was hopeless, weeping muddled words as he tried to vanquish the fear from her, but his own words were useless. 

He was just as terrified, his body just as unsteady, but now was not the time to allow himself to fall apart. 

With every last shred of fight in his body he’d protect them. If his words did nothing to reassure her, he’d show it. He’d let nothing befall Callie or Leo if it meant giving his own life, but the possibility of never seeing his son grow or hear him laugh for the first time quaked deeply in his heart. 

He kissed her once her cries had softened, softly promising their safety as she looked at him, her face held in his large hands. Everything about the way she looked at him screamed helplessness, but Nick was steadfast. He’d make up for this. With every breath left in his body and every moment they had left together, he’d fix this. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you or Leo. I promise, I promise Callie,” he declared, his thumbs swiping away falling tears. “Please, please trust me. I didn’t do this to keep it from you. I wanted to keep you two safe, that’s all I wanted,” Nick conceded, and Callie could tell he was riddled with worry, maybe even that she’d push him away. 

Now she held his face. “Then tell me everything you know,” 

“I will, I promise,” he agreed, and whined when she held around his waist, burying her face against his chest. Their shape was funny, but her secure hold made him feel his most confident. She stood back on her heels when his touch fell to her stomach, both of them looking down when Leo swirled under their palms. 

“He’s so lively,” Nick said lovingly. 

“He moves the most when you talk,” Callie realized as she told him, watching his eyes close in affection as he moved his palms to follow Leo. 

They were supposed to be home, with a still bounding Pucca, planning the arrival of their first baby. 

They were supposed to be picking the color of the walls in his room and a million other things, but now, in this crisis, feeling their son dance beneath their touch was the best thing they could cling to in these hopeless moments. 

With the last of her tear stained cheeks dried, she straightened her lover, fixing his shirt. 

“Now tell me everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of emotions to unpack in this chapter 😞💔
> 
> as always, thank you for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated!


	10. Mexico

Nick’s grimace was just as skeptical as Daryl’s, the pair staring through the window at the older model SUV Fero had proudly come upon without much explanation. 

_We needed a car, so I got one_ , he’d only said, but the officers would’ve bet every penny they had that if they opened the drivers side, they’d find twisted wires hanging from the steering column. 

“We’re gonna stick out like a sore thumb in that thing,” Nick stated the obvious, but Ward still scoffed. 

“Two elves, an Orc and two humans getting into a car together is cause enough for concern,” Ward shook his head. 

“They’re not looking for cars filled with passengers, though. They’re looking for Bright’s who rely on magic to get them where they’re going. We’ll slip right under their radar as long as we travel carefully.” Tikka explained, coming from one of the rooms with new clothes on, ones that better melded into everyday life. Nick did a double take; it was amazing how well brown contacts could mask her true identity. She went from elf to valley girl in a matter of minutes. 

 

_“It was supposed to be a routine call, just to check-up on some suspicious activity then leave,” Nick rubbed his forehead, recalling the stormy night._

_“That’s when she attacked you guys?” Callie asked, sitting cross-legged before him on the bed._

_“No. It was a Shield of Light base that had been attacked, and then we found her with the bodies,”_

_“What was she doing there?”_

_“Running from Inferni, her sister,”_

_Callie’s brow cocked. “Her sister?”_

 

“For you,” she handed Daryl a razor, already a stream of protests coming from him. “And you. I can make those appear long again,” she explained, pointing to his face. 

“M...my tusks?” Nick touched his lip cautiously, brows knit together in concern. “You can grow them back?”

“No,” she pulled the wand from her back pocket now, her hand unexpectedly holding under his jaw. 

“Woah hey hey hey,” Ward tried to step between them, but she already had it pointed excruciatingly close, and in this proximity, he could see how the light moved down the small cracks and grooves of it’s enchanted wooden design, but the glowing never grew past the small trails of twisting, ethereal light it emitted. 

Nick could feel a tugging on his filed teeth, and the feather-light touch of the wands essence grazing against his chin and cheeks, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him to hesitantly touch the two impressive, curved tusks once Tikka had withdrawn her hand. 

“Holy fuck,” Daryl mumbled, wide eyed and unable to pull his eyes away. “You look like a damn Orc,”

He could feel them with his tongue, but he needed to see. 

Nick pushed past them, leaving Tikka to turn and watch as he moved to the bathroom. 

 

_“Are you fucking kidding me?” she barked, getting ready so stand._

_“Sit down, he had reason-” Nick tried grabbing her arms._

_“Fuck reason!”_

_“Callie! Sit down!” he hissed, but she hesitated before sitting reluctantly, arms crossed and face flattened in anger. “He thought I’d let his shooter go over Clan Law,”_

_“Why couldn’t he just ask you?”_

_“He had. I’d lied,” he shrugged. “It wouldn’t have held up in court, so I covered my ass,”_

_She sighed. “And then your captain tried to frame you,”_

_He nodded, remorseful at the call of bitter memories. “He covered me, more than I could’ve ever expected,”_

 

Apprehension gripped him before he flipped on the light, staring at what he _knew_ was his reflection, but didn’t recognize. Looking at photos before they’d been filed was one thing, but to see the image of what he once was before his decision exiled him from his own race left him… dejected. 

When it came down to it, was it only tusks that set him apart from other Orcs? Despite being full-blooded, absolutely Orkish to the way he walked and the family that surrounded him, why did others only look at this? 

_It’s because you look human without them._

He bared his teeth, moving his head side to side to detail their appearance, how it felt to have them pressed effortlessly against his top lip when he closed his jaws. He really did look more Orkish. 

“They’ll fall off in a few hours,” Tikka stood in the door frame, but he didn’t look at her. 

He stared at his own yellow eyes. _Why’d you ever do this?_

She shifted, fixing her bag at her side. “We should get going,”

Nick nodded, dropping his gaze. There were no words offered as he squeezed past her, heading to the back room where Callie napped as they finished collecting themselves. 

He didn’t knock, but he didn’t walk in immediately, either. _How would she react?_

“I’m awake,” She called softly, curled around her stomach at the edge of the bed.

 

_“We hit a fucking Binding Spell. We could only stay within a certain radius before the wand started acting up, and we couldn’t leave Tikka behind. She was like a child,” he went on._

_“You couldn’t have called for other officers? Anyone?”_

_He shook his head. “Who’s to say they weren’t like Chang and the others? They would’ve killed all three of us to get their hands on the wand,”_

_“They wouldn’t have been able to hold it though,” Callie tried, but he shook his head._

_“There’s ways to get around that,”_

_She exhaled, still holding his hands. “So you had a Bright, Altimira and LAPD after you,”_

_“Not just them,” he mumbled, looking at her with tired eyes._

 

He closed the door behind himself. “You alright?”

She nodded, her face still hidden in the pillow with his uniform shirt draped over her upper half. “He hasn’t let me sleep much,” she explained groggily, her hand resting over his after he’d sat beside her. 

Slow swipes over her curvature revealed that Leo really was spinning, pressing here and there. It stirred a soft grin across his tusked lips. 

“Woah,”

His eyes flew to hers.

“Your teeth,” she noted, slowly sitting up. 

“Part of my disguise,” he quoted, forgetting that he couldn’t run his tongue over a clipped tusk anymore. “Is it that bad?”

“No, not at all. I’ve only seen pictures of you like this,” she studied innocently, running the pad of her thumb up one softly. 

“Tikka said they’d fall off in a few hours,”

Callie scooted closer, her feet resting on the ground. “You don’t sound too thrilled about that,”

He shrugged, lowering his gaze. “I didn’t recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. Not just my reflection, but,” he motioned his hands about himself. “My entirety. I was a completely different person. I was still an Orc,” 

Callie had to repeat his words to herself, but then she inched closer, leaning in until he looked at her. “Why would you say that?” She asked sadly, her head following his when he shifted, his expression sorrowing. “Mande, mi amore?” 

 

_She glanced up at him after tugging down the collar of his shirt, the pads of her fingers moving over the frayed scar. An injury at work is what he’d always told her._

_But then there was the time in the hospital he’d come out with some of the truth. Dorghu had shot him, he’d said, but never had he mentioned he’d… died._

_“I’m okay,” he assured, rubbing her arms after she’d scooted to sit directly before him, unwilling to let him go._

_“You actually **died** , died?” she choked, looking at him frantically. Nick nodded, grabbing her hand to hold tenderly. _

_“Tikka brought me back. Ward had said it was less than a minute, but it felt like days I was stuck in that void,” he recalled. The floating emptiness during that time still unsettled him. It was like being absent from your own body, unable to form coherent thoughts as time dragged by. “I came back in better shape than before, actually,”_

_She was still gawking at him, her color a few shades lighter and jaw dropped, eyes starting to gloss over. “You died,”_

_“Baby,” he held her face, her grip strong around his wrists. “I lived. I found you,”_

_She blinked away the tears, pressing her face tight against his collar when he hugged her. To think the man she’d come to love so boundlessly and child she carried could never have existed in her life put things into perspective, to say the least. She clung tighter to him, her fingers curling in his jacket. What would there be without him?_

_“So then?” she asked, sitting back._

_“They… let us go,” he knew that sounded ridiculous, and the look she gave him only solidified that._

 

“What if I could’ve fought harder to keep them? I was so hellbent on becoming a cop that I let them take this away from me,” he motioned towards his face. Nick already knew how to speak around the tusks; it was like years hadn’t passed and they’d never been filed down in a cold dentists office, his hands gripping the chair until his knuckles rang with pain.

“They shouldn’t have made that a requirement,” she agreed, holding his large hands. 

“They don’t make people cover their tattoos or centaurs dock their tales, so why me? Maybe I wouldn’t be so hated by everyone if I’d found some way to keep them. I tried too hard to be normal and I still fucked up,” 

Callie barely made out the last part when his voice started to break. “Don’t do that, baby. You did what they said because you had a dream, and you made it come true. They never should have made you or even Sergey clip your tusks, but even if- there was no way you could’ve made everyone happy. You worked so hard, please don’t let this bring you down from the mountain you conquered. You’re still Orc just as much as anyone else, no matter how you look,” she stated firmly, her eyes unwavering as she held his face, wiping a stray tear that slipped out, the inner turmoil swirling in his ambers. 

“You’re still Nick. You’re still Orc. No one can ever take that from you,” she said softer, her forehead resting against his when his cheek leaned into her touch. He took in deep breaths as she lead him from the dark cloud he wandered through in his mind, his hands that had been gripping her thighs now moving up to hold the sides of her stomach. 

“Can’t imagine the aftercare from a bite like that,” she cracked softly, and was elated to see his grin, and hear a throaty chuckle. 

“Don’t know if I’d be able to do much with these,” 

Carefully she tilted her head just enough to plant a firm kiss on his lips, stirring a throaty growl. Now he held her face as they exchanged a few more sweet pecks, reluctantly leaning back from her space when she smiled too wide to continue. 

“Still do that,” she giggled, but drawled into a long sigh when he pulled her to his chest, holding her tightly. 

“What would I do without you?” he said into her hair, his face pinching in embarrassment when his blood started to rush after scenting her. 

 

_“He grabbed the wand. He killed Leilah,” he nodded slowly, staring off beside her. “Tikka had slinked off by then, and we didn’t know if she was okay until she popped up during that award ceremony,”_

_“Did you see her again after that?”_

_“No, that’s when she disappeared. All those years that passed I started to wonder if it’d all been a hallucination. It all happened so fast and then it ended, like nothing had ever happened. It was trippy,” he said into his palm, an elbow rested on his knee. “Life just went on after that. A little easier, albeit,”_

_“How’s that?” she asked, leaned against the headboard beside him with pillows supporting her achy back._

_“I was blooded after that night,”_

_“So that **did** have to do with the wand?” _

_He nodded. “The building we were in was on fire and by the time I made it out, I realized Ward wasn’t with me so I ran back in to get him,”_

_Callie grinned. “You saved him?”_

_Nick nodded, the corner of his mouth pulling in for a crooked half smile. “Officially Fogteeth,”_

_Her head rested back. “Wow,”_

_Nick leaned back with her, nodding. He hoped unloading his master secret didn’t inadvertently burden her, but God did it feel good finally getting all that shit off his chest. He looked down to find her hand, lacing their fingers and holding it in his lap. When she didn’t move, he bumped her arm._

_“Too much?” he asked._

_She shook her head. “That’s why you didn’t like my neighborhood, huh? I literally live two blocks from Abrams Street,”_

_Nick shrugged._

_“You should’ve told me sooner,”_

_“I couldn’t. MTF has everything tapped,”_

_Her eyes widened. “Everything?”_

_“I wouldn’t surprised. Definitely my phone,”_

_She sat forward, glaring. “I’ve sent nudes!”_

_“So have I,”_

_She hit his arm. “Our sex tape!” she hissed, but after a few beats of silence, they both laughed, only able to imagine what kind of stir that caused across the agents face who monitored that. At the thought of Kandomere possibly being the one to unfortunately observe that- someone who absolutely hated Orcs, maybe even more than humans- Nick was breathless, tears starting to pool in his eyes as he hunched over into Callie’s lap, his big body shaking from laughter._

 

“Hey,” he pulled from her, hands sliding across her sides to hold her stomach. “You buckled and asked, didn’t you?” he eyed her suspiciously, but she blew air between her lips. 

“It was Dr. Sangui’s fault, actually. She blurted it out during an ultrasound,” Callie grinned, looking down to watch his hands move over her stomach. 

“No shit?” he chuckled, matching her soft smile. 

“I was gonna put another sticky note on the door to his room that said his name to see if you’d notice,” she confessed. 

“I would’ve noticed right away,” he leaned farther in, kissing her stomach before resting his forehead against it. “I look at it everytime I pass,” 

It was quiet then, Callie rubbing his shoulders and Nick simply holding her, letting this gentle moment envelope him. 

“My boy,” he uttered softly. “He’s gonna look like you,”

“You think?” 

“Boys take after their moms,” he reasoned, sitting up with a final kiss and pass of his palm over her stomach. 

“You look exactly like your dad,”

“That’s an Orc thing. You’re human, he’ll look like you,” 

“With your color,” she grinned, the pair daydreaming. 

A few soft rapts against the door made them both flinch, and Ward stuck his head in, now bare faced. “You two ready to bounce?”

Callie withheld any comment, but her raised brows echoed everything he had mumbled to himself while he shaved off his impressive mustache. 

“Not particularly,” Nick grumbled, turning back to Callie. 

“Wait-” they heard Tikka call from outside the room, squeezing past Ward to amble up to the pair as she dug in her bag. “You get these,” 

Handed to her was a small container with contacts inside still floating in the solution. 

“Wear these with your hood up and you’ll look like an Elf,” Tikka explained, and Callie’s head snapped up. 

“Isn’t disguising myself as an Elf even more suspicious?” she asked, pulling her hair into a bun and slipping her hood up. 

“But you won’t look like you, and that’s what we want,” the Bright said before leaving the room again, meeting Fero who was finishing loading up the SUV. 

Nick stood first to help her stand, and followed her to the bathroom to watch her meticulously put the contacts in. 

“I’m going to vomit,” she sang, holding her eyelid up. “I’m going to puke,” she forced, straining to keep her eyes open as she popped the contact in. With a groan and shuddering shimmy of her shoulders, she blinked it into position, pausing to look in the mirror. 

Another small fit, and the other one was in, leaving herself, and Nick, _and_ Ward- who’d peeked in curiously- staring back at her in the mirror, amazed at the difference. 

“I don’t like that,” Nick said with a sour face, but Callie shrugged. 

“I think I look kinda cool,” she doted, pulling her hood tighter over her dark hair. 

“Yeah but how often do you see pregnant elves?” Ward asked, and the two looked at him. “They use surrogates,” 

“Ghetto Elf then,” Callie piped, and Nick nudged her arm. “So? Does it look believable?” she asked, turning before the men who were looking at her just as skeptical as they did the SUV. The longer they all looked at one another, the more their already brittle confidence in this excursion thinning by the second. 

“This isn’t gonna work,” Nick mumbled, running a hand down his face.

“It’ll work. They don’t care who crosses in, only who comes out,” Callie reassured, but that made them all pause, and ponder. “How’re we gonna get out?” she mumbled. 

The men groaned, turning away. 

“Let’s go.” Fero stepped into the room, his bright eyes concealed and platinum curls covered. 

They all pooled in the front room, zipping their jackets or adjusting other various items of clothing, glancing nervously out the window. 

“You all act like we’re gonna be jumped as soon as we walk out,” Fero teased, and the officers glared at him. “You think they expect you to be in some motel?” 

“Fero,” Tikka snapped, glaring heatedly before she moved to the door. Nick and Daryl both flinched when she opened it nonchalantly, but Callie holding her Orc’s hand helped bring his confidence back to a reasonable level as they walked out of the room. 

“You two couldn’t look more obvious even if you tried,” Fero said through the corner of his mouth when the men’s head turned and observed on a swivel, even bumping into one another as they made their way to the SUV parked across the lot. 

“We’ll be okay,” Nick said lowly to Callie, turning here and there with a hand on her back as she hoisted herself through the middle seats of the SUV. 

“You tellin’ me or yourself?” she cracked, trying to lighten his mood, but he only stared at her flatly. 

Ward sat in the front beside Fero, smacking the panel beside him. “Let’s bounce.”

## Tijuana

“They’re coming out,” Callie declared, groaning when she had to pinch softly across her eyeball to pull the contact out. 

“They’re going to recognize you!”

“No they’re not! You said yourself- MTF doesn’t operate in Mexico!” Callie hissed back at Fero, shuddering when the other contact was slipped out. 

“That doesn’t mean they’d try to prevent us from getting in!” Fero barked harshly, pulling back on her arm. 

Nick broke the contact, growling loudly and chest to chest with the Elf who was baring his teeth also. 

“Both of you- enough!” Tikka forced her way between them, a hand on either chest as the men continued to glare hatefully at one another. 

“I’m with Cal, she’s our only translator,” Ward stated calmly, stepping to stand beside her while she was letting her hair down around her shoulders. 

“These covers might have worked in LA but they’re nothing but suspicious at the border,” Callie explained, pulling on Nick’s arm so he reluctantly stepped beside her. “The less you go in with, the less likely they’ll bother you,”

“That’s a horrible thought process,” Fero rolled his eyes. 

“Hey,” Callie hit his chest as she was walking by, and he glowered down at her. “You’re in my territory now, so unless you want border patrol holding you in one of those concentration camps, shut up and listen,” 

He watched the pregnant human move by him with determination, rolling his eyes again when Nick smiled smugly as he followed. A few more low profanities passed as he idled behind Tikka, who to Callie’s insistence, had pulled her hood down. Platinum blondes aren’t rare, but as long as she covered her ears, they should be clear to pass. 

Nick chuffed when Callie pulled his down also, slipping her hand into his as they approached the long corridor like entryway to the grated, revolving doors. 

“There’s no officers around,” Ward said lowly. 

“Told you. Easy to get in, tougher to get out. Buenas tardes!” Callie waved cheerily to a personnel just on the other side of the doors they had passed through, but only a curt nod met her wide smile. Ward and Nick nodded, both surprised any of them hadn’t been stopped and questioned. When Fero and Tikka in addition were still following without any trouble, Ward could feel the doubt falling from his shoulders. 

“He didn’t even look twice at us,” Nick commented, glancing back. 

“I look like a prostitute, that’s why,” 

Both men looked at her quizzically. 

“It’s legal here. They have red light districts. He looks like a regular customer,” Callie played, elbowing Nick who’s brows flattened in annoyance. He pushed her gently, finding her hand again once she stepped back. “You two okay?” she asked looking back. 

“I didn’t anticipate that to go so smoothly,” Tikka admitted, her head still on a swivel. 

They gathered back together into a loose group, but for the Elves and Ward, the night life wasn’t something they expected, nor the carefree demeanor of the people still making their way up and down the sidewalks, a few hole-in-the wall bars still booming loudly with music and restless visitors. The traffic was bustling, worse than LA’s boulevards, people honking and navigating the constricted streets. 

“It looks like LA,” Ward commented. 

“I thought you came here with Sherri?” Nick asked, this being the fifth time he’d accompanied Callie across the border. 

“Man that was in my twenties. I know we were in Rosarito but everything else is a blur,” Ward could only faintly recall, but the vivid memory of throwing back far too many shots every hour and gorging on fish tacos every ten steps still made his stomach churn.

A particularly rowdy group passed them, the woman under the arms of borrachos laughing loudly with beaded necklaces and spilling beers in hand. Nick pulled Callie tight to his side, chuffing angrily when they shouted insults at the towering Orc. 

“We need a cab,” 

“We can’t walk to the house?” Tikka asked, and Callie snorted. 

“It’s a 40 minute drive,” 

“That wouldn’t be too long walking-” she started, but even Ward glanced at her bleakly alongside Nick, pointing to Callie’s obvious condition. “Nevermind,” she mumbled, looking away.

Callie was left to hail a cab, which turned up results quickly along the busy street, and after a few heated minutes of quick bartering and agreeing to pay the remainder seats so they had no one else to worry about, Callie called them over to pile into the van, thankful to be off the populated streets. They all nodded tersely to the driver who had nothing but smiles to give, speaking to Callie rapidly as she found her seat in the front. 

Nick pushed Fero when he sat in the seat behind her, jerking his chin towards Tikka’s direction towards the back, but he didn’t budge until Tikka reached forward and yanked on his jacket, hissing at him lowly in Elvish. At last he crawled to the back seat, huffing as he crossed his arms. 

↠

“Pare aqui, por favor.”

Nick jerked awake, scanning their surroundings with hazy vision and momentarily panicking when nothing was recognizable, but Ward’s hand on his shoulder brought him back, as well as glancing behind to find the two Elves leaned against one another, staring lazily out the window. 

At some point during that drive that was definitely longer than 40 minutes, he’d dozed off listening to Callie chat indifferently with the driver, recognizing a word here and there and sometimes able to piece sentences together. Nick and Daryl exchanged nods as the van finally came to a halt, stopping along a quiet street filled with dark houses and various other roads leading to other cul de sacs. 

“Tip him well,” Callie shot towards Fero before exiting the van, thanking the driver kindly and shaking his hand. Fero slapped a 20 into his hand, ignoring the drivers gracious thanks while following Tikka from the car. 

“This isn’t the house,” Nick observed, staring at the two story they’d stopped in front of. 

“It’s this way,” she tugged on his hand, the lot following. 

“You couldn’t have told him to take us to the house?” Fero asked. 

“Route taxis stop on bus stops. They’re cheaper,” Callie yawned, turning the corner to follow the sidewalk. 

Tikka glanced over her shoulder nervously, even walking backwards a few steps to take in their full surroundings. 

“Thought you said we don’t have to worry about MTF here,” Ward noticed, falling back with her. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she said lowly, satisfied with the quiet street before turning forward. Nick peered at her, skepticism written across his features, but she had no more apologies to offer. They were too far from home to deal with that anymore. 

It was only a brief walk before Callie followed a pebbled path up to a white house with curved window and archways, a sturdy iron door first meeting them. 

“I can never remember which stone it is,” she grunted, leaning down to flip a few large ones. 

Nick assisted, turning stones until at last they found the fake one with the key hidden safely inside. Once unlocked, she stepped aside to allow everyone into the inner yard that an overhang surrounded, as well as other doors leading to various other entrances to the home. They looked into the dark windows lining some of the walls, the soft silhouette of furniture and various home items easing their minds as Callie pulled the heavy door shut, locking it dutifully. 

Again she pointed them in the direction of another door that Nick had opened after she handed him the key, and slowly they filed in, their eyes adjusting once she flipped on a few lights to reveal the comforting walls around them. Plush furniture and cozy corners, the curtains drawn to keep curious eyes out, and of course, numerous photos covering the walls. 

“I don’t think there’s gonna be much food,” Callie noted, waddling towards a chair. “But there’s running water and rooms with beds to sleep in,” she exhaled, sitting stiffly. 

“How long are we planning on staying here?” Ward asked, still stood by the door. 

No one had an answer to that, but Callie and Nick exchanged nervous glances. The farther they’d made their way into the hills, the more unanswered questions built. 

“I think everyone can do with some rest and deal with that in the morning,” Tikka tried encouragingly, but the nods of approval she thought she’d receive were actually just everyone moving their separate ways. Fero was opening an empty fridge before he moved onto sparse cabinets, finding stale crackers and some canned foods. 

Daryl followed Callie and Nick down the hall to where she told him to choose from any of the rooms and show him the bathroom, and he departed without another word, but simply a loose nod before closing the door behind himself. 

The pair moved into the room they always stayed in on their visits to the family home; a guest room with a mattress barely big enough to fit Nick and bare walls, but a bed was a bed, and there was a spare bathroom attached to it. 

Nick went about kicking off the stiff shoes as Callie moved to the bathroom, flipping on the light that always highlighted her tiredest of features in the narrow mirror. She stared back at herself, detailing her tangled hair and slumped shoulders, the bags under her eyes. 

She was too tired to even care at attempting to fix her appearance. 

Cold water splashed over her face felt refreshing despite the chill that hung in the house, but looking down at her palms soured her expression. Blood was still stained across her fingers, and scrubbing harshly with a washcloth only did so much to pull it from her pores after a few minutes. 

With a shaky breath, she held her face, the vivid images of Pucca in Nick’s arms fluttering before her eyes. Though she allowed a few tears to slip down her cheeks, she stifled more prominent cries, wiping her face with her sleeves and splashing more water on her face before returning to the room to find that Nick wasn’t there anymore. 

At last she sat down on the bed, the plush mattress kinder on her back, but Leo stirred vibrantly everytime her stomach growled. She glanced out the window, half expecting to see sirens light up the street at any moment, but after a few seconds of staring, she carefully laid backwards, her body jellying atop the blankets. Being as tired as she was, it was easy to remain uncaring of anything around her as long as she could rest, and found herself quickly slipping into a sleepy limbo. 

She cracked an eye when the door opened, finding Nick walking in with a few items in his arm before closing the light out again behind him. 

“You need to eat something,” he told her, placing some snacks on the bed. Old crackers, older cookies and a water bottle; a feast in their predicament. 

“I’m so tired,” she mumbled, rolling on her side to fiddle with the cookies. 

“Please?” he asked, sitting beside her. She nodded and held up a palm after he tore the package open, nibbling on the cookie, still on her side. 

When Nick tried to eat a cracker, one of his curved tusks clipped off, falling to the floor noisily between his feet. For a moment there was panic, but then he remembered they’d been gone all along, and easily snapped off the other to leave him with the blunt incisors again. He ran his tongue over the smooth tops, kicking away the fake tips with a low chuff. 

Callie looked up at him, and could clearly see the disappointment written across his face. He’d already grown used to them, and with that, had come to miss ever having them. 

Her hand slid across his thigh, giving a few comforting squeezes. 

When he looked down at her, he chuckled; her cheek was stuffed with cookies and her eyes comically sleepy. 

No words were passed between them, only a silent comfort in each others presence as they finished their small meal before she crawled farther up the bed to slip under the covers, groaning as the bed cradled her perfectly. 

“Where’re you going?” she asked as he moved from the bed. 

“I’m gonna go talk to them,” 

“Should I be worried?” 

He winked at her, flashing a toothy grin before closing the door behind himself softly. 

From down the hall he could see Tikka and Fero at the table beside the kitchen, quietly chatting side by side and sharing a water and some of the old crackers, then turning to face Nick when he approached them. 

“So what’s the plan?” he asked outright, and the Elves exchanged looks. 

“If I can convince Ward to help, then we can stop Makhel,” she elaborated simply, shrinking under Nick’s critical glare. 

“That’s it? That’s all you have?” Nick pushed.

“If he won’t agree to learning-”

“You mean if you can’t force him to learn?”

“Shut up,” Fero butted in. 

“No. All this running and twisting our arms to get us here and that’s all you have?” Nick barked. 

“If he can learn a few spells, he can help me disarm Makhel. He doesn’t have to be the one to deal the final blow but I need him to at least help me so yes, that’s all I have right now. These kinds of duels are unpredictable so planning too far in advance is useless,” she explained, but Nick still wasn’t satisfied as he leaned against the entry to the hallway, pulling his hand down his face. 

“How are we even going to get to him if we’re in Mexico now?” 

Tikka swallowed. “He’ll find us,”

Nick’s ambers met her lightning blues. “How?”

“He’s tracking us. Eventually he’ll come here but we have to be ready when he does,” she answered. 

The Orc stared critically a moment, unmoving. “Have you known that the entire time?”

She nodded weakly. 

“Then why couldn’t we have just lead him to MTF?” he said through his clenched jaw, fighting not to swing at either of them. 

“They would’ve taken us too,” Fero interjected, but Nick scoffed. 

“You really think I give a shit at this point?” Nick asked, pushing off the entryway. “You’re both fucking stupid.”

That was his last remark before turning to walk hotly to his room, only half restrained in his efforts to not slam his door. 

Fero looked back to a deflated Tikka, moving to hold her hand, but she withdrew it to hang her head in her palms. The house was quiet again, not even the low chatter of others talking in their rooms or the normal hum of life outside. 

“You should’ve told them,”

Tikka shook her head. “We wouldn’t have gotten here if I had,”

He shifted, toying with the water bottle. “They have a right to know,”

“We have some time,”

“How long before you send another signal?” he asked, but she shrugged. 

“Maybe tomorrow night? Maybe by then he’ll know a few spells,” 

“And if he doesn’t?” Fero pushed, leaning down to catch her gaze. “What if we lead him here and we only have you to fight with?” 

“That’s why I said maybe-”

“We can’t go off of ‘maybe’s’, Tikka!” he hissed, glancing down the hall. “If you’re leaving a trail for him to follow than we have to be ready! You can’t be so careless,”

“Like you were when I told you not to take him on alone?” she snapped back, gaze steady as his as they glared at one another. A few stiff seconds of silence passed before he stood to walk outside, leaving her alone at the table to ponder over the gravity of the situation, and the innocent lives she’d involved. 

↠

The wound was open again. 

Blood trickled down his arm where it dripped off his fingertips, but he seemed completely unfazed by the multiple bites littering his arm and shoulder. 

Without a word, she swung the backpack to her front and dug through it for gauze, then carefully lifted his arm to roll the sleeve up. He at last looked to the peppered gashes across his arm as she dabbed the swelling flesh gently, wincing. 

“This needs more than superglue,” she commented. 

Makhel shrugged. “Stupid dog surprised me,” 

“What were you even doing in that house?” she asked, pulling out some coflex tape to hold the layers of gauze in place. 

“Tikka had been there. I thought she was hiding with someone. It was only a mixed couples home,” he spat in disgust, halting her hands. Surely he knew the impact his words would have on his halfling lover, but no apologies came forth after he pulled his arm away to roll the sleeve down. 

She stood beside him tensely as he continued to look down at the lively border from the side of the highway, calculating how they could slip through without their startling appearance alarming anyone. While she could’ve passed with reasonable ease despite being colored in soft hues of Orkish greens, Makhel was battered and bloody, and hadn’t bothered changing from his torn clothing in a couple days. If anyone created any type of interference, he’d likely whip out the wand, uncaring of any innocent lives around them. 

She sighed silently, shifting on her sore feet. They’d been walking for miles at the same rapid pace, but standing still now only made her thighs itch mercilessly. 

“Can we take a break?” she asked; she could lay down in the brush and sleep she was so exhausted. 

“No. We have to get in now while we can still see the signals,” he snapped, stepping onto the breakaway of the highway. 

“What if it’s a trap? Why would she leave a trail like that?” she asked after him, struggling to follow over the terrain. “We should be careful-”

“She poses no threat to us anymore than she did in Brazil. Don’t be so foolish, _halfbreun_ ,” 

She grabbed his arm so he’d spin, meeting her eyes wide with disbelief. “What did you call me?”

His hairless brows tightened, his mouth doing the same. “Half-breed,”

She let him go, taking a step back. “I have a name,” 

“Think with the Orc half of your brain then and I’ll call you by your name,” he said calmly, turning away again to lurk down the highway that was lit sparsely with headlights of passing cars. 

Rania watched him, and the urge to run in the opposite direction had never been so strong. 

 

_“I’ve had nothing but bad thrown at me for it,” she said shyly, moving her hair behind her narrow, pointed ears._

_“Foolish. They are foolish. They don’t see the beauty standing before them,” Makhel devoted softly, continuing to smile when she looked away with flushed cheeks, leaning into his chest. A soft kiss on her head turned her face up so she could catch the next one, his wide, gentle palm cupping her cheek._

_“You don’t care that I’m a halfling?” she asked against his lips, her eyes heavy._

_“You could be 1% Orc and I would still follow you to the ends of the Earth, Rania. My heart is yours.” He said truthfully, firmly, again kissing her when she clung to his shirt desperately._

 

Tears stung her eyes, but she still followed from a distance, clinging to the warm memories atop the rooftop of the Shield of Light base where she’d first laid eyes on the meek Orc who won her over so quickly, before hate shaped his fragile heart. 

Eventually he turned to look at her, halting until she was by his side before continuing on, but he no longer reached for her hand or offered comforting grins now and again. Only the wand occupied his touch now.

* * *

Ward stared critically at the cup held in Fero’s raised hand while he turned the silent want in his own, no longer stinging his grasp or ringing obnoxiously. 

“Again,” Tikka said from behind him. 

The wand raised. “ _Tula_ ,” Ward recited, but the expel from the end was meager compared to the powerful boom that she’d summoned in her demonstration. The cup simply fell from his grasp, bouncing across the floor. 

Daryl was exasperated when he turned away, the heels of his palms pressed against his forehead. 

“That was better,” Nick tried, sitting beside Callie under the window that looked out into the inner yard of the home. 

“Oh yeah, we gon’ stop that fucker by gently slapping the wand from his hand,” Ward snapped, and Nick rolled his eyes, almost through with anymore words of encouragement. 

“You need to feel it, it comes from down here,” Tikka instructed, squaring her shoulders as she inhaled and patted her chest. “Put your mind and heart into it,” 

“Excuse me if my mind is in different places right now,” he mumbled. 

“Good, use that,” she told him, stepping aside. 

“Use my hatred of this entire shitty situation?” he asked snootily, but she nodded. “Seriously?”

“Emotions play a big part in spell casting. Send those feelings outwards,” Fero commented, picking the cup up. Again, his arm outstretched, his grip meager around the cup. 

Nick and Callie both looked back to Daryl as he situated his feet deeper into the grass, staring at the cup. He conjured every negative thought that had crept into his mind since he was forced from his home, every winding stream of insults he’d wanted to fire off since they’d first crossed into Mexico. He let that resentment collect in his chest after a restless night of pushing it down, and for the uncounted time, he raised the wand that small splinters of light was shining through between the wooden grooves. 

“ _Tula_!” he shouted. 

Fero hissed sharply when a ringing pain shot down his arm, the cup flinging towards Daryl only to fall about halfway to him and bounce a few times. 

“That was an angry cast,” Tikka cringed, checking the skin of Fero’s reddened, irritated hand he was shaking frantically. 

“You said to use those emotions,” Ward shrugged, silently elated that he, after hours and far too little breaks in between, had finally made progress. 

“Maybe you’d have better success thinking of something that made you happy,” she suggested, this time moving to hold the cup herself. 

“Not even a pat on the back after all that hard work?” Callie snipped lowly, sending a brazen front to Tikka who’d barely caught her remark, but shrugged it off. 

The cup was raised. “Think of something happy,” 

Ward’s head lolled as he stared at the yellow cup, his posture relaxing as he dug deep into his thoughts. 

They all watched as the seconds dragged on and Daryl remained motionless, seemingly calm. 

“ _Tula_ ,” he called much calmer now, and just as a wide spreading blast of moving energy shoved Tikka back into Fero’s arms, the cup came flying into Daryl’s chest where he fumbled to catch it. 

They all exchanged hung jaws and wide eyed faces, matching Daryl’s equally shocked expression as he held up the cup in disbelief. 

“That was better,”

They all looked to Tikka as she fixed her clothing, now a sore chest plate riddling her. 

“Would it kill you to show some praise?” Callie asked bitterly. 

“He has a lot of work to do still,” Tikka defended, and barely caught the cup when it was chucked harshly at her. 

“If you’re gon’ be like that, then we can continue this shit after I eat,” Ward decided, also flicking the wand to Fero. He looked down when the wand quieted, swiftly handing it over to Tikka. 

Nick watched Ward stomp inside before he stood, offering his hands to help Callie up and leaving Tikka and Fero alienated. 

“She’s becoming worse than him,” Callie commented as she closed the door harshly behind herself. 

The pair didn’t join them, but instead sat down on the lone bench across the yard, deflated, and exhausted. Like Ward, neither had gotten much sleep despite it being the safest and most peaceful location they’d inhabited for months. They sat shoulder to shoulder, staring off into nothing with blurry eyes and empty stomachs. Both had made the agreement long ago to not even mention how one another must have smelled. 

“That only took 7 hours,” Fero grumbled with only a soft ‘hm’ in return. “We should eat too,” 

“I’d rather sleep,”

“Thought you already tried that,” 

“Maybe if someone hadn’t been huffing and puffing all night I could’ve gotten some,” she battled, her eyes sliding shut. 

“You act like you don’t talk in your sleep,” Fero smirked at her, catching her slight smile. “Always asking for me to spoon you,”

“Oh yeah, my big bad Bright chasing away the nightmares,” she teased, earning a gentle elbow in the arm. 

“At least I’m useful for something,”

“Among other things.” She cracked. Her head fell to his shoulder, adjusting until she was comfortable and humming gently when he kissed her head, their hands joining between them. Fero grabbed at the opportunity to shut his eyes as she did, and the harmonic tune of birds singing and the normal bustle of the world around them rocking him tenderly with the aid of a soft breeze until they were both asleep. 

↠

Nick flipped on the inner yards light, drawing open a curtain enough to check on Fero and Tikka who had somehow managed to stay upright while they slept the last few hours. 

“Still out?” Ward asked, the taco held carefully in his hand. 

“Mhm,” Nick mumbled, closing the curtain. “I don’t know if I should bother waking them up,”

“Let them sleep. They’d be passing out over their food,” Callie called, and he followed her voice to the kitchen where she’d finished cooking the last of the fajita de carne and had it set in a bowl as she flipped the last tortilla in the skillet, expertly flipping it into the warmer. 

Nick helped her carry the bowls and toppings to the table where Ward was already digging into his third taco, his eyes rolling back into his skull for every bite. 

“Save some for them,” she mentioned, but Nick scoffed. “They’re our only protection right now,”

“Who says they would if it came down to it?” Daryl asked around a cheekful, already building another taco. 

“She kept MTF from getting to us,”

“No, she took us _away_ from MTF. Before she had you, we were on the phone with Kandomere trying to get him to us. He wanted to help,” Nick explained, piling on the extra onions and bell peppers. 

“Oh,” she intoned, staring down at her food. “I didn’t know that,”

The men both shrugged, chewing. “This is damn good,” Ward nodded, reaching for the salsa. 

“Cheap dinner. You two didn’t run into any trouble at the market?” she asked, finally sinking her teeth into her food, smothered in extra peppers and lime. 

“Only until we tried buying the stuff. It’s all in pesos, I didn’t know if we had enough,” 

“Told you I should’ve gone,” she sassed. 

“It’s a thirty minute walk, you would’ve popped Leo out after all that,” Nick ribbed, and she pushed his shoulder. 

“Leo? Y’all havin’ a boy?” Daryl piped, and the couple nodded. “My man!” he exclaimed, pushing harshly against Nick before patting him square on the back. “When did you find out?”

Callie scoffed. “Yesterday,” she said close to her food, glancing at Nick. Her Orc sighed, rubbing her forearm. 

Silence settled around them, all staring despondently down at their food that wasn’t as flavorful compared to just moments before. 

“Congratulations.” Daryl still offered, glad to see a small smile from them before the meal carried on in more silence. 

 

Callie turned just as she’d pulled the new shirt down her stomach to face Nick as he walked in, closing the door quietly behind himself. 

“They’re eating,” he told her, groaning when he sat at the edge of the bed to kick off his shoes. 

He hadn’t the night before, and maybe it was the quiet day and trip to the market without conflict that helped calm him, but that evening he pulled his shirt off. Until the night prior, he hadn’t realized how uncomfortable it was sleeping with clothes on whereas him and Callie were usually naked or nearly, but this small absence of a shirt gave him goosebumps after he spun to lay down, curling his arms around her protectively. 

“Not too tight,” she grunted, wincing. Nick sat up on an elbow. 

“What hurts?” he asked skeptically, but she shook her head. “Calista,”

She exhaled. “It’s just the Braxton Hicks-”

“Are they stronger?” 

When she remained silent, his brows lifted. “Are they regular?!”

“NO,” now she was sitting up. “No, I promise, no. But… yeah, they’re stronger and your son loves doing jumping jacks when I lay down,” 

“You swear?” he pushed, and she nodded, squeezing his hand that had moved to her stomach. 

“I’m fine,” she said closely to his lips, kissing him sweetly. Nick moaned, following her mouth for another. So rapidly, just as his blood had kicked into higher drive, he was drowning in her loving smooches and leaning into her touch when a lithe hand caressed his cheek. If he were home, pushing her back to crawl between her legs would be a normal night, but here? He had to force himself away from her lips, his head hung as he steadied his breathing. 

“Still in heat?” she asked, and he nodded. Temptation burned strong enough to caress her mouth a little more, even daring to taste her tongue.

“You gotta stop cuz I’m not going to,” he breathed, chuffing when she kissed down his jaw.

“Even under these circumstances?” she purred, leaning away from his searching lips. 

“It’s lethal at this point,” he mumbled, stirring a soft chuckle from her. A painful cramp stifled her smile, and she moved into a more comfortable position, daring to look at Nick’s concerned eyes. 

“You should be back in LA,” 

“ _We_ should be back in LA,” she corrected. 

Nick’s eyes bounced around a moment before he shifted to sit stiffly beside her. “Let me call Matuk to come get you,”

“Excuse me?”

“You can stay with him, Fogteeth will keep you safe,”

“No,”

“Callie-”

“No. Don’t you dare,” she ground out, hitting his chest. “I’m safest with you. I couldn’t see anyone or go to any appointments anyways if I was home so what’s the point?”

“You wouldn’t be around all this though. What if all this added stress sends you into early labor?” he pleaded, but she was shaking her head. 

“I will do whatever you say and hide wherever you want, but I am _not_ leaving your side,”

Devastation was written across his features, and even when she held his cheeks, his eyes welled. “I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you or Leo,” His voice cracked, making her heart. 

“Nothing will,” she rested her forehead against his. “It’s their battle, not ours. Neither of us will let anything happen to Leo,” 

“I won’t let anything happen to either of you, I swear my own life on it.” He devoted, wrapping her in a tight embrace when her arms wound around him. He wanted to be her shield from any danger or fear being so far away from home, but as he clung to her, she was doing just that for him. Fear quaked in his heart, plagued his dreaming when he found moments of rest, and she was the only one who vanquished it in precious times like this. 

He stared out the window behind her, the curtains drawn enough that the smallest bit of night was leaking in, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that at any moment, their assailant would be peering in, exposing their hide-out. 

Nick’s arms tightened around her, waiting, but no golden eyes appeared that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the calm before the storm... 🥀


	11. Fight or Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! we have come to the point where i will no longer be updating on fridays but any day i happen to finish each chapter 🙈 life catches up quick, hehe.   
> enjoy! 🖤

Nick was ready to rip the electronic payphone from the ground when the line started ringing, so he angrily exhaled, looking over his shoulder. It had taken a great deal of patience and an even greater summoning of what little spanish he could recall to navigate the prompts before even connecting the call, all of which left him ready to rip something to pieces. 

He kept thinking Callie had caught onto his curious questions from that morning after eyeing him curiously and vaguely answering his numerous inquiries. If she caught him like this, she’d likely castrate him-

The line clicked. 

“Hello?”

“Matuk?” Nick cautiously regarded. 

There was hesitation. “Munguz?”

“Hey kid,” 

“What’s with the new number?” Matuk queeried, and Nick could hear the chaos of his younger siblings in the background. _Of course I catch him in the middle of shit_.

“It’s a long story,” he chose to convey in lieu of fitting 2 chaotic days into one breath. “Listen, I need a favor. A big one,” 

“Oookay,” Matuk sounded apprehensive. 

“Can you come get Callie from the border? We uh… we got mixed up in some weird shit, and I can’t get into details, but she can’t be here. And she needs to be hidden,” Nick leaned against the phone box’s side, his index and thumb rubbing over his tired eyes. 

“What border?”

“Mexico,” Nick cringed. 

He heard the beginnings of words from the other end, but Matuk faltered before asking, “Hidden? Like _hidden_ hidden?” 

“No, like- she can’t be out in public,” 

“What did you two do-” Mauk questioned skeptically. 

“I promise I’ll tell you eventually but right now I just need to know if you can come get her. She _cannot_ be here in the condition she’s in,” Nick barked out, impatience lining his tone. 

“I mean, yeah, yeah I can come get her, but I don’t think she’s gonna stay put for too long, dude,” Matuk sighed, recalling the numerous times he’d been set to work keeping an eye on her after a pregnancy scare early on in her first trimester. Matuk quickly came to learn that when Callie felt crowded, her attitude would grow faster than her irritation, often spitting sour remarks in hopes of backing people off. “Is she gonna come willingly?”

When there was silence, Matuk sputtered low in Orkish. 

“I’m not giving her the choice to stay,” 

“How am _I_ gonna get her to stay then?” the younger Orc groaned, pulling the phone away to silence his rambunctious siblings. 

“Handcuff her to something if you have to, but Matuk, don’t let her out of your sight. She can’t be left alone,” 

The noisiness from Matuk’s end faded, and Nick could hear the faint closing of a door. “Do I need to tell Dorghu about this?”

Nick closed his eyes. That thought had crept to the forefront of his mind the night prior as he laid awake, restless and staring at their door or window, but didn’t know how involving the Fogteeth would affect their situation. 

“No. Not yet, at least,” Nick decided. It was mostly because he didn’t deem it fit to have any more bodies involved, but Nick also feared for his own life and the ones around him. Dorghu had shot him once over a wand, who’s to say it wouldn’t happen again? “I just need you to come get her,”

“Okay. It’s gonna take a few hours,” Matuk agreed.

“Maybe that’ll be enough time for Callie to burn out after I tell her,” he groaned, pulling his hand down his face. 

“Have fun with that. Be there soon,” Matuk was already pulling his boots on when he wiggled the phone back into his palm. 

“Thanks.” He mumbled before the line went dead, and he placed the phone back onto its holder. Now that he was faced with having to somehow convince Callie to leave without him- after their discussion from the night before, no less- he didn’t know if he had it in his heart to remain resilient when telling her. He already knew there’d be panic, and sadness, even more betrayal. 

But how could he watch her leave knowing there might not be another chance to see her? What if this went on and on, and he wasn’t there to see the birth of his son? 

Nick could physically feel his heart clench. 

What if there was never the time to see her smiling up at him with Leo in her arms? 

That alone was almost enough to leave him breathless, but he couldn’t keep thinking like that. Even if he was never able to hold Leo in his arms or look into Callie’s eyes again, then at least they’d have each other. There was no way he could go on bearing the thought alone that they could be ripped from his grasp at any moment. 

Nick’s hands ran over his smooth scalp to the back of his neck as he walked, his feet heavy with dread and heart conflicted. 

The desire to snap his eyes open and it all just be a fucking nightmare was crushing. 

The selfish desire to keep her near him was just as powerful. 

Nick stopped beside a curb, hunkering down to squat, holding his face. Where the decision had been obvious that morning, it was not apparent to Nick until that instant just how much willpower this was going to suck out of him. 

“Nick?” 

He looked up enough to catch Ward walking towards him with a few bags of groceries at his side, but Nick’s head fell back into his hands. 

“What’s up?” Daryl asked, the Orcs dismay obvious once he’d stood. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I got ahold of him,” Nick explained. Daryl understood; Nick had filled him in on his plan while they walked to the market for food to take along with them on their journey. “I just-” Nick exhaled, a hand on his chest, turning away. “I didn’t think-”

“Yo, okay, sit down,” Ward turned him back around, ushering him towards the high curb. “Sit your big ass down, c’mon,” he pushed against his wide shoulders until the Orc sat, struggling to slow his ragged breathing. 

“Deep breaths,” Ward instructed calmly, leaving a comforting hand upon his back. He waited with patience as his normally composed friend fought to conquer an episode he’d likely experienced little of his entire life, judging by the way he glanced around them in panic, as if something was causing the assault his mind was the direct cause of. 

“First panic attack?” Daryl asked, but Nick was still trembling, counting backwards in his head through the rampaging thoughts that together made a swirling storm of anguish. “Get ready for those when you’re a dad,”

“That’s it, though. What if I don’t get that chance?” Nick choked out, but with his face hidden in his hands, Ward couldn’t see the rampant emotions twisting his face. “All this time it took to get where we are and now I don’t even know if I’ll get to see what my son looks like,” 

Daryl nodded, looking out to the street packed with ongoing life, oblivious to their turmoil or the danger that could be lurking around any given corner. He placed the groceries between his feet, leaning forward onto his knees as he looked at the eggs in the bag. It could’ve been any morning he was off buying food for his own wife and daughter. 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see Sophia again,” Daryl said calmly, hooking Nick’s attention enough that he unburied his face from his palms. “At first I worried about Kandomere harassin’ them, but now I can’t stop thinking that I should’ve just gone to dinner with them. We… we’ve been fighting lately. Shit stirs up sometimes, you know? We have months where we vibin’ and everything is perfect, and then we have weeks where we can barely look at each other and fight over stupid, dumb shit. Now I can’t stop thinking…” Ward paused to motion with his hands, as if trying to pull the words from himself. “I can’t stop thinking that she must think I left. That I gave up,” 

Nick sat straighter. “You wouldn’t do that,”

“I wouldn’t, but she came home to an empty house after 2 weeks of endless fighting. I keep thinking my little girl must feel abandoned, and I can’t do anything to comfort her this far away,” Daryl’s tone was bleak, much like the absence in his eyes as he stared before himself. “But that’s why I need to get back, that’s my drive,”

Nick’s eyes met his. “That’s why _you_ need to make it back. Forget that Callie would tear you to pieces if you go and get your ass killed,” he nudged Nick, provoking the smallest grin from him. “You owe it to your kid. He can’t go growin’ up without his dad. He’s half a you, and he’s gonna need you. He’ll grow up with questions even Callie can’t answer which is why you need to fight with all you got,”

“What if I still don’t make it back?” Nick wavered, but Daryl shoved him that time. 

“Don’t even think about that. Make it home. That boy’s gonna have your blood and last name, but he still needs his father,” 

Nick nodded despite still feeling whichever road he decided to venture down would inevitably bring heartache, but with both ends having no known outcome, all he could do was choose one and get walking.

“Cal’s gonna hate me,” he muttered. 

“Let her. But in the end, she’s just gon’ be happy to have y’alls life back how it’s supposed to be,” 

Daryl was right. “Either make you or break you,” Nick mumbled, and now his partner nodded avidly. “We should head back,”

“Y’alright?” Daryl held his shoulder before he could rise, wary of his stability, but Nick waved him off. 

“Better than I’ll be in ten minutes.” Nick grumbled. 

The men walked mostly in silence the small trek back to the house, constantly on alert but otherwise blending well into the life around them. TJ was full of tourists as it is, so they looked like any other foreigner. 

They arrived at the house sooner than Nick had anticipated, still not knowing how he was going to present this, or more so, how he was going to get her to the border kicking and screaming, because he knew that was the only way she was going. 

Tikka and Fero were bickering at the far end of the inner yard once the officers had walked through the heavy door, but neither cared to even try stopping them. Both would agree that they didn’t want anymore of their issues than had already been dropped in their laps, so they moved inside. By the looks of it at passing glance, it was a particularly sour topic. Fero’s head shook with restraint just as Tikka’s hands motioned here and there. 

_Don’t want any of that_. 

Nick didn’t find Callie until he peeked into the room they’d been using, and his decision was solidified as soon as he laid eyes on her gripping the bed frame with one hand and other other holding her stomach, an eye pinched shut in discomfort. 

More Braxton Hicks. 

“Hey,” she ground out. 

“Bad one?” he asked, but she disagreed. 

“He kicked right into one,” she motioned around her lower stomach, exhaling slowly when it passed. “If I sit down he protests,” Callie labored, swaying side to side. He almost forgot his motive when the desire to run his hands over her moving belly rushed him, but a quick glance at the window like he’d done countless times the night before brought it back. 

Nick swallowed, smoothing his shirt down his front. 

“I need to talk to you,” he spoke in such a way that sent alarming chills down her spine immediately, so she turned to him, waiting with big eyes full of uncertainty. 

“I called Matuk,”

The shift of emotions on her face was immediate, a stiff step back putting distance between them that Nick immediately wanted to close. “No,” 

“He said-”

“No,” she interrupted. 

“He’d come get you at the border,” 

“You swore-” she jabbed her finger towards him as he approached, stepping from his reach. “You _promised_ -”

“I promised I’d keep you two safe,” Nick pleaded, still reaching. 

“How are we safe if we’re not with you?” she boomed. 

“You can’t be here! You need to be home-” 

“There’s no home to go to, Nick! How do you expect me to go and just wait for you? Not knowing what’s going on?” she demanded, pushing his hands away. 

His brows arched into a deeper glare, and he mustered every brittle fiber of courage he had. “You’re going home. You have no say this time,” 

Now she walked up on him, glaring just as heatedly as he did down at her. “You can’t make me,” was all she hissed before turning heel, heading towards the door. 

“What’ll you do if we’re attacked and you go into labor?” 

She stopped at the door to shoot him an unamused look. “Seriously?”

Nick crossed the room in a few wide steps, meeting her steadfast form. “What will you do?”

“Push him out. I can handle it,” she jerked her chin in his direction, on the verge of growling at him as he continued to provoke her. 

“You’re going to walk around with Leo in your arms after that? On the run, no doctors? A premature baby?” 

Now she faltered, picturing a too small bundle of love in her arms, screaming at the top of his lungs… or maybe gasping for air. “I’ll protect him,” she dithered. 

“He’s still too small, he needs doctors,” 

“I’ll find one,” she blurted out before comprehending how ridiculous that was, and Nick’s twisted expression showed it. 

“He’ll cry. They’ll follow his screams and fire at us- at him,” Nick forced out, his own crude words sinking his heart. When her eyes glossed over and her bottom lip quivered, he struggled to keep his composure. “You’ll be putting him in danger,”

Her eyes narrowed, stepping closer, leaning up on her tip-toes. “Don’t you dare put that on me. This, _all_ of this is your fault,” she ground out, shoving against his chest, but Nick’s solid form was unmoving as he grabbed her wrist. 

“And now I’m fixing it,”

She tried to yank her arm back, but his grip was mighty, even as she threw some of her weight into it. 

“Let me go!” she hollered, but he snatched her other arm as she thrashed and pushed against him. “Nick let me go-”

“You have to leave! Don’t do this, Callie! If it were you-” he blocked a hit, “If it were you in my shoes would you let me stay with Leo?” he yelled over her protests, catching her shoulders. “Would you let that happen?” 

Nick wanted to cry. He wanted to fall apart and hold her as she looked up at him with eyes glazed over in fear, and hurt, and… betrayal. Surely he didn’t think of this as that, but that obviously didn’t stop it from crawling it’s way up her frame to take hold of her heart. 

“If there’s no other way I can stop this, then I’m not going to drag you two down with me. I need you two safe and alive,” Nick implored.

“I can’t-” she choked, but he shook his head. “Nick I can’t! I can’t do this without you!”

“I’ll be back, I don’t know when but I’ll always come back to you,” 

“How can you guarantee that? We could die at any moment- any turn we take, that’s why you’re sending me away! How do you know you’ll come home?” she demanded, following his head when the questions left him searching blindly. 

It was true. There was no guarantee he’d come home, but he couldn’t send her off with that.

“What if you don’t come back?”

The desperation in her eyes was painful, the fear shaking her voice. Nick held her sides, his thumbs stroking as he looked down at her stomach. 

His face tightened; he almost couldn’t bare to send her away. “Then you’ll always have part of me with you.” But she was already weeping, her fingers curling into his shirt before he could stop tears springing forth to his own eyes. 

“No,” she shoved away from him suddenly, hastily wiping her tears from her cheeks and receding into pure fury. “I’m not fucking leaving. I’m not going to leave and sit and stare out the window waiting for you to come home!” she screamed, swiping his hands away. 

“Callie-”

“No! I’m not going to let you do this-” 

The explosion knocked them both off their feet, and thankfully Callie flung forward right into his arms before they hit the floor. 

It left their ears ringing and dust hovering over them. Nick kept her down until enough cleared that he could see the door she’d been standing before had splintered open, some of the wall crumbling and cracked, but it was nothing compared to the completely obliterated hallway that was now an entrance to the outside.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly, finally moving from over her to help her stand. She nodded, coughing past the dust and smoke while Nick patted her down. 

Another resonating explosion that trembled through the ground beneath their feet prompted him to shield her from the door and wall crumbling before him as the chaos ensued outside. Distant, slurred shouts from both Tikka and Fero could be heard, but upon daring a glance down the hall, only more damage befell him. 

Callie looked around his shoulder, her heart plummeting when she laid eyes on the home that was the foundation of her greatest childhood memories, now cracked apart, reduced to it’s bones. 

“Nick!” 

The couple flinched at the voice beside them, but they moved aside just as Ward ran into their room from his own destroyed one, blood carving a path down his face. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Nick hissed, the three sheilding their heads when there was another blast. 

“He found us-” 

There was only a ringing in his ears left after that one. 

A blast strong enough to have scattered them about the room, hidden amongst the broken roof and smoke. He shielded his eyes from the debris falling over him, his limbs heavy and vision patchy. 

_Get up_. 

Nick groaned; he didn’t want to. His body protested completely. Had he ever felt so fatigued before? 

Callie came skidding into his line of sight after staring at the sky through the broken roof, shaking him violently until he lazily looked at her. 

His hairless brows furrowed. _Why is she bleeding?_

She was screaming, that much was obvious. So panicked, yanking at his big body violently as she continued to scream. He tried to stop her, but his eyes were slowly shutting despite the annoying booms around him vibrating harshly through the wooden floors beneath his body. 

The dark when he shut his eyes was comforting; it closed out the noise-

His eyes sprung open after a sharp slap whipped across his cheek, and he met Callie’s panicked face again. 

“Get the fuck up!” she screamed, pulling on his shoulders. 

With the sound returning to his ears brought throbbing to his head and shoulder, and he growled viciously when she pulled on him again into an upright position. He looked- something had driven itself into his shoulder, probably a splinter from the roof. The blood ran warm down his arm, but he looked back to Callie frantically. 

“You’re hurt!” he choked, holding her head. Somewhere there was something open, letting blood run freely down the side of her face and neck. 

“Get up, we have to go!” she demanded, standing to lean back into her hoisting until he was standing wobbly, trying to steady himself. 

“C’mere,” he called, wincing through the weight of the pain ringing through his head, pulling Callie under his arm as they cautiously crept towards the door. “Where’s Daryl?”

“He took off, I don’t know,” 

Nick kept her at arms length as he stepped into the cluttered hall, sweeping over anything visible with blurry eyes. He motioned her over, kept behind him as they made their way down, peering cautiously into rooms that were in shambles. 

The living room was turned inside out, a wall caved in and water spewing from broken piping, but behind that small fountain was Daryl crouched behind the split table. 

“Daryl-”

“Shh!” he hissed, pointing urgently towards the broken windows lining the living room. Cautiously, Nick peered around the corner to look out into the yard. 

Where he hoped to see Tikka or Fero was instead a stranger. 

An Orc, bearing injuries that bled freely and an aggravated wand in his grasp. He was calm as he canvassed the area despite the heaving breaths Nick could see him taking, and he flinched back from sight just as the intruder turned to face the windows. 

Nick pushed Callie into a room, shielding her behind the door as he pressed himself tight to the wall across from her. 

Callie held a hand over her own mouth, pinching her eyes shut. 

She fought internally to fight the urge to bolt, digging her nails into her palm where her body shook violently. 

A heavy step entered the house, and she looked at Nick with wide, terrified eyes. 

He mouthed something to her, but she couldn’t decipher it. 

A figure running by the window caused her to flinch, her foot shooting out and hitting the door. Nick pulled her away before he even considered if it was heard above the cracking of the house, and shoved her deep into the closet he was beside, closing the door before she could reach for him. 

“Makhel! Stop!” a female voice broke through the silence in the living room. “Stop this-”

“Get off!” Nick heard the booming voice of the stranger, than the telltale drop of a body hitting the floor and sliding across the debris. “You wish to stop me now?”

“They have nothing to do with this!” the female voice cried, and there was more shuffling, the grunts of struggling and a recognizable ringing of a wand. 

“They helped her-”

“They’re no one!” 

A high-pitched shot cracked through lingering dust around them, and silence filled the air again as Nick knelt down, shielded by the door and glancing at the closet Callie was still concealed in. 

Another figure came bolting by the window, but there was familiarity in this one.

“Makhel!” That was Tikka, winded, frantic. “No- what’ve you done!?”

“She fed into your deceit-”

“Mahkel-”

“She…” the male’s voice was shaking, heavier breaths following his slurred words. “What did you do to her?”

A crack of thunder broke the air around them, and Nick jerked from the door when a broad body came flying against the door frame, falling to the floor before him. 

Gold eyes met each other, and Nick finally was face to face with the rogue Bright; the Orc who was unbridled. 

Nick did not flinch, or run, or move in the slightest as he slowly rose before him, their eye contact never breaking despite the wand glowing ominously in his palm. When he was straightened, Nick almost felt like laughing. 

He was so fucking young. It pissed him off; what could have happened to this tike to make him so vicious? To literally hunt them like they were game? Killing, destroying- _what?_

It pulled his lips back over his teeth, growling lowly and shoulders hunching as Makhel fired back his own growl, flashing his impressive tusks. The fury eating away at him was evident just looking at this individual. It burned in his eyes, came off of him in potent waves. If there hadn’t been an active wand in his hand, Nick would’ve lunged by now, the fierce protectiveness shooting to every limb like pins and needles. 

Now, they were in a classic Orkish standoff, calculating, waiting, planning, snarly and growls ripping through them like the Earth cracking, but any sound coming through the breaking house was drowned by the pounding in his ears. He was zeroed in, ready to launch forward, all the while comprehending only two words: 

_Protect Leo_. 

Familiar thunder cracking around them didn’t make Nick flinch nearly as bad as Makhel, but just as the younger Orc’s head turned towards the door, Nick swung. 

It all happened so quickly that by the time they’d landed in the dry, arid trench of a separate town nestled near some snowy mountains, it took a solid minute for Nick to understand what had happened. 

Fero had been the one who Carried in, blocking Nick’s hit under his own arm. 

When the Elf twisted him to turn towards the closet Callie was reaching desperately from, Nick caught sight of Mikhel reaching for them, jaw opened in a rageful holler, the wand thrusting all too close by Nick’s head. The world fell out beneath them, and in a flurry of flashes and wild colors, he’d been deposited into the dirt and rocks, the white-hot sun shocking him. 

His vision was still shaking, his ribs sore from the deep, ragged breaths he was still choking in. Though his vision was tunneled and red, he found Callie quickly, struggling to sit up some feet from him. 

“Cal-” he coughed, the pulses in his vision now a painful throb as he struggled to her. 

_Check your mate. He might’ve defiled her._

He shook his head clear of the intruding thoughts just as he reached her, carefully lifting her despite his arm seizing from the wound in his shoulder. 

The slap across his cheek was almost enough to throw him off his footing, but once he realized it was Callie who had smacked him, he steadied, looking at her in horror. 

“What the fuck was that!?” she screamed, coming after him again, but he blocked her blow. 

“Callie what the-”

“You try to send me away!? Are you fucking kidding me!?” she continued to holler, shoving against his chest and hitting his arms that raised in defense. “What if you would’ve died in that attack and I wasn’t there!?” her voice started to break from her screaming, her hits weakening quickly. 

“That’s exactly why I wanted to send you home!” he yelled back, grabbing thrashing arms. “Callie stop!” 

“Fuck you! You could’ve died and I’d never be able to say goodbye!” she sobbed, hitting him in rapid succession a few more times before she stepped back from him, breathlessly. “You can’t-” she gasped, stumbling. “You can’t throw yourself away like that,” 

Heat collected across Nick’s cheek, but he pushed that ire down. He’d never seen her so… hysterical. 

He exhaled, reaching for her. “Callie-”

His reach was pushed away, her head shaking. “You don’t understand,” she breathed while leaning on her knees, head hung. 

Blood dripped from the ends of her hair to the sand below her, her breaths as dry as the landscape around them.

“Is Leo-”

“Nick!” 

They both turned, finding Ward some ways away, motioning for them to come towards him quickly. 

Nick and Callie looked at one another before she stepped away first, struggling to balance over the rocky terrain. He offered his hand, but she withdrew any chance she got, always a few steps ahead of him. 

When they came to where Ward, a strange scene unfolded before them. 

“Who’s that?” Callie aked, staring at another woman laid in the shade of a low tree, her back turned to them while Tikka spoke softly to her, Fero scrambling to rip open a backpack. 

“She was with him,” Ward said, arms crossed and dirty, some scrapes around his face. “With that fuckin’ Orc,” 

They looked back. “What happened?”

“He found us,” Tikka looked up, grabbing some of the supplies from the backpack with bloody hands to rip open the packaging. “He casted a spell and it just,” she exhaled sharply, flattening out squares of gauze. “It took us by surprise,” 

“He destroyed my parents house,” Callie mumbled, eyes cutting downwards. 

“But why is _she_ here?” Nick pressed. 

“He fired at her,” Fero shot back, helping Tikka carefully turn Rania. They muffled her cries with a shirt, pushing her thighs down from her stomach when she tried to curl into a ball. A gruesome, gaping hole was blown into her stomach, blood staining the sand beneath her. Tikka’s eyes cut up to Ward. 

“You didn’t help,” she ground out, pressing the gauze into her wound despite her cries heightening. Callie flinched. 

Ward stuttered. “How-”

“You could’ve called the wand!” she snapped, lifting her hand to switch gauze. “I told you to!”

He tried to form words, his face tight in anger, but the truth was, he’d been scared, downright terrified looking that wildeyed Orc in the eye with a wand in his hand. “I couldn’t…”

“You could have! You’re lucky she got you out of there!” Tikka exclaimed, moving to gently hush Rania when she protested loudly as they continued to press into the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. 

“But what the fuck _happened?_ ” Nick interrupted. 

“He attacked us in the yard first before he started firing on the house,” Tikka explained, pressure resolute against her stomach. “We were split from Ward,”

“I was inside, after the roof caved in over you two,” Ward pointed to Nick and Callie. “I was in the living room n’... and he came in but he didn’t see me until she came runnin’ and he attacked her,” 

“She Carried him here, and I followed so he couldn’t call my wand,” Tikka huffed, relieved to see the bleeding was slowing. “Fero was the last to find you two,”

“I came face to face with him,” Nick muttered, recalling those tense moments that were colored red. 

Fero turned, nodding towards him. “He got your ear,” 

Nick’s brows knit together, and when he moved to touch his ear, he was met with warm blood and intense stinging under his touch. 

“He cut your ear,” Callie noted, cringing. 

“How bad?” he exclaimed, and flinched when a roll of gauze hit his chest that he fumbled to catch. 

“It’s half gone,” 

“What!?” he yelled, searching frantically for anything reflective. But when he tried to twitch his ear, it was just… absent. Not even numb, just gone. Carefully he pinched along his ear until he was met with the pads of his own fingers instead of the point of an ear. 

Constricted yelps from Rania brought them back to the real dilemma, watching her ball the shirt against her face as Tikka and Fero secured bandaging around her waist, doing their best to keep the sand from her bloody skin. 

“Can’t you heal it?” Callie asked, but Tikka shook her head, face sorrowing. 

“I can’t heal what another wand inflicts,” she rasped, at last finishing and pulling her ripped, stained shirt back down her stomach, reaching to smooth back her thick hair plastered against face. Now that the shirt was moved, they could see the short tusks and sparse coloring across her dark skin.

Rania grasped her hand shakily, nodding in silent thanks as she struggled to slow her breathing. 

“We need to find cover,” Fero interjected gently, Tikka agreeing. “Can you stand?” 

Rania looked to Fero in exhaustion, but she nodded determinedly, breathing deep before carefully curling forward with immense difficulty. The elves were there to ease her up as she yelped into a sitting position, a jacket thrown over her shoulders to mask some of the damage done to her by the time she made it to her feet, but Fero still pulled her arm behind his neck. 

“Are you all okay?” Tikka asked, packing up the remainder of the back-pack. They all nodded despite their own blood and injuries covering them in various spots. Nothing could match up to a hole blown through the abdomen. 

“C’mon then,” Fero jerked his head, slowly pulling Rania along, patient as she fought to take every step. 

“Stay off the sidewalks until we find somewhere, I’ll go ahead,” Tikka called to him as she jogged onwards, leaving the others to trail behind him at Rania’s pace. 

Nick looked on at Callie worriedly, itching to move her hair aside so he could find the source of the blood spilling down her cheek, but one cold glare from her kept his hands at his sides. She didn’t bother walking beside him, and instead stayed before him, glancing back when she’d stumble over a rock or lose balance. 

_You didn’t protect her_. 

Nick pinched his eyes shut, his head hanging as he walked after them. _Shut up_. 

 

Following the barren dirt road lead them to a series of small houses, barely on their last legs and few inhabited, but the one Tikka chose looked to still have some kind of occupant despite being empty. Fresh fruit was on the battered wooden countertop, and a broom sat in the corner with dirt and dust swept across the concrete floors. 

“I’ll take care of them if they come back,” she reassured. Neither knew what ‘ _taking care of_ ’ entitled, but in all honesty, all of them were too shaken and exhausted to really care. 

Rania was dragging her feet by the time Fero, with the help of Ward now, found an old, weathered couch to place her across. The wound had started to bleed again, running the length of her leg and turning her carob skin a few shades lighter. Sweat lined her completely, her wild hair drenched and loose shirt clung to her. 

The girl was clearly in agony, her condition obviously worse than before. Vicious trembles racked down her form, and when she’d managed to open her eyes, the blood vessels were burst and staining the whites. 

“That needs to be stopped,” Callie commented as she looked on at the soaking of Rania’s shirt. Who ever had been there had thankfully left a basket of clean laundry on the table, including a multitude of wash clothes that Callie scooped up before kneeling by the injured halfling. 

“Be careful,” Nick reached for her, but Callie’s glare stopped him. 

“What can she do like this?” she snapped, but now Nick had just as sour of an expression to lash back with. 

“Are you serious?” 

“Both of you shut up,” Tikka cut in, going about removing the soaked gauze. 

“Stop-” Rania coughed, but it was too late. 

Tikka’s hands withdrew, sitting back on her heels. When she looked at Rania’s pained eyes, swelling with tears, it was evident she’d already known her fate was sealed. 

Callie had initially reached to apply pressure, but upon seeing the white, stone like flesh cinching around the wound that was already closing, she too withdrew, looking to Tikka. 

“What is- what’s…?” she stuttered, but Tikka only moved to hold Rania’s hand. 

The two looked at one another, the acceptance unwanted, but this far gone, there was nothing any of them could do. No doctor could reverse the damage already coursing its way through her body, inflicted by the one that had promised to throw his life down in protection. 

“I tried to stop him,” Rania wept, but Tikka shook her head. “Ele se foi- sinto muito,”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Fero kneeled down, his hand placed of theirs. 

“Eu poderia ter parado ele naquela noite,” 

“No, Rania. Makhel was gone long before that. You’re not responsible for this,” Tikka held her face now, wiping away the tears that slipped down her round cheeks, her once vibrant hazel eyes shiting in depth as the cursed spell rampaged throughout her. 

Rania nodded, doing her best to take a deep breath in, but coughed on the exhalation, blood pouring over her tusked lips. 

Callie handed her the cloth, helping her lift her hand to her mouth. 

Rania looked over the human slowly, her eyes lingering on her stomach. “I’m sorry to you, too,”

Callie’s brows furrowed. “He attacked your home. You’re,” Rania’s hand fell to hang off the couch, fingertips barely grazing her stomach as Nick lunged forward to pull Callie back. 

“She won’t do anything!” Tikka barked, but Nick’s actions were resolute, unwilling to release Callie even as she pulled against his hold about her shoulders. 

“I am sorry,” Rania craned her neck to look at Nick. “I am sorry,” she exhaled, falling back into a slump, her eyes sliding shut. 

“You need to rest,” Tikka urged, speaking to her softly as Fero went about finding more cushions to ease her painful body as much as possible. 

Callie at last got herself from under Nick’s hold, glancing back at him. He tried to soften his face, but irritation was starting to prick across his skin. She hadn’t given him any indication to her or Leo’s condition, and he assumed if he asked, even now, she’d give him little in her furious state. 

He looked to Rania as Callie followed Ward deeper into the house, and he was surprised to see her looking up at him, barely conscious that was. 

Though he tried to care less about the woman who’d been at the side of the Orc who nearly ended all of their lives, he couldn’t help but feel some sympathy. 

The man she’d trusted turned on her, for what reason he didn’t know, but it wasn’t only that. 

Staring her in the eyes struck a deep chord within him. 

What’s to say his own halfling wouldn’t meet a similar fate? He knew how pushed they were to the brinks of society, how many times he'd been called to scenes of suicides to halflings that saw it as their only option left in the last days of their lives. 

With a low chuff, he moved away, resilient in his efforts to stay near Callie until she brought down the wall she’d built between them. 

Rania’s eyes followed him until he’d left the room, leaving her to look back to Tikka who was wiping around her wound carefully, riding the blood splashed across her skin. The marble coloration was spreading, but the bleeding had stopped, unlike the pain that would continue to increase. 

“Is he the Orc?” she asked softly, her voice breaking. 

Tikka nodded, a grin barely curling the corner of her mouth. “That’s the one,” 

“He reminds me of my father,” she breathed, stiffly adjusting her head against the cushion. 

Tikka finished, handing Fero the stained gauze and pulling the quilt thrown over the back of the couch over her, even moving her hair behind her pointed ears before grabbing her hand. “Do they know?” 

Rania shook her head slowly, eyes still closed. “I haven’t spoken to them since that week before,” 

“Rania,” she waited until her eyes cracked open. “You need to go home,” 

“What’s the point? I’ll be dead before they can even make it here,” she forced out, hand raising to cover her face as it pinched. “I don’t want them to know what happened,” 

Nick rolled his eyes as their conversation was lost in the distance he put between them, following Callie and Ward to the back of the small house where they’d found clothes and rubbing alcohol in a cramped bathroom. 

He felt like an awkward bystander as he watched her go about dividing the cloths up and dousing them with alcohol, even helping Ward with the scrapes across his cheek and arms. 

“You need to get looked at too,” Nick piped in, and Ward stepped aside to allow her to move to him, but she didn’t even bat an eye.

“Callie,” Nick tried, but she only glanced at him, tipping the bottle onto the rag again. 

“Are you really ignoring me?” the Orc snapped, but the purposeful turn of her shoulders so her back was to him said everything he needed. 

Heat flushed across his cheeks, and he was sure a few droplets of blood spewed from his ear with the way his heart kicked into high gear. 

“Daryl,” he growled, and Ward was swift in maneuvering between them, happy to tend to himself elsewhere. 

He leaned in the doorway, an unmoving wall she knew she had no chance of squeezing past. So at last she turned to him, arms crossed as his and provocation rolling off both of them. He knew she was uncomfortable; she would try but could never hide the slight wincing of her eyes when she’d have a particularly gnarly cramp or stop herself from swaying when her back ached too severely. 

Throwing in bodily injuries and exhaustion was only aggravating that. 

“What’s hurt?” he asked, but she shrugged. 

“Haven’t had a minute to look,” she tilted her head, jaw set. 

“Leo?” 

“Quiet,” 

He sighed. “Can you give me more than that?” 

“How am I supposed to know?” 

His arms unfolded, taking a menacing step towards her. “Don’t act like you’re not bothered by that just because you’re pissed at me,” 

“I have every right to be pissed at you,” she piqued, but a wide step into the bathroom sent her stepping back, flinching when the door slammed heatedly behind him. 

“Then be fucking angry, but I’m not going to sit and feel bad when I was trying to keep you two safe!” he yelled, even leaning down to get eye level. “You’re always first to tell me how unwilling you are to put up with any shit that could affect you or Leo and now you’re spinning on me and guilting me into doing the same? Are you fucking kidding me Callie?” 

“It’s not the same-” 

“You’re right, it’s worse! We have roofs falling on our heads and shots firing everywhere and you have the audacity to turn on _me_ and make _me_ the bad guy for doing what I’m supposed to be doing!” he finished, leaving her pressed tight against the wall, staring up at him with a deep frown and angrily arched brows, tears glazing over her eyes. 

“This isn’t my fault-”

“I never said it was!” he boomed, throwing his fist into the wall beside her. She cowered away, pulling her arms to her chest. 

He was huffing, watching her as he shifted side to side angrily. “You can do whatever you want, hate me all you need, but don’t put Leo in the center of it. You’d never look at me again if I did that to you Callie, and I sure as hell won’t look at you if you pull that shit again.” 

It pissed her off to no end that what he said was true; that she couldn’t battle it. 

She’d directed all her anger from their situation onto him knowing full well she would’ve thought to send him to safety if Leo were attached to him. He was doing exactly what she was despite being the one who would’ve stayed behind in the middle of it, all to make sure they were safe. Now she’d gone and effectively pushed her rock into a state of rage, leaving her… alone, it now seemed. 

By the time she’d come to this realization, he’d already left the bathroom, slamming the door behind himself again to leave her with her fists balled against her eyes in repressed sobs. 

_Fuck this- fuck everything about it_. 

Callie bit another choke of cries back, straightening herself, pushing down everything that hurt across her body. 

She stared at the door, clicking her teeth together and wiping her cheeks, collecting some sticky blood along the way. A pitiful whine made it past her lips when she waited and he didn’t come back in.

First instinct when she felt like her world was collapsing was to run to Nick. Where was he now that she’d pushed him away? 

_Find him_. 

She was across the narrow bathroom in a few shaking steps, yanking hard against the doorknob- _of course he slammed it hard enough to jam_ \- to step into the hallway, searching through the small living room that was empty. 

She exhaled, fists curling at her sides and eyes jumping frantically. 

“Callie,”

A quick spin found Nick leaned just outside the bathroom door, his temper brought down considerably as he looked on at her in shame. 

A small whimper came forth as he pushed off the wall to open his arms just as she’d stumbled into them, pressing her face tight against his chest and her body against him, his hands sweeping across her back, his brawny arms finally locking tightly around her. 

Soft sniffles compelled him to wiggle his head down to press kisses against her forehead. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “You’re right, I wasn’t thinking,” 

Nick nodded, resting his cheek where his kisses once did. “It’s over with,” he moved to rest his chin there, looking over the sparse living room, but then uncurled the arm around her neck when her sticky hair reminded him of more pressing matters. “You gotta get looked at,”

“Couple more seconds,” she pleaded, clasping her hands behind him. “You scared the shit outta me at the house,”

Nick leaned back to look at her quizzically as she slid her cheek up to gaze at him. “You passed out. I didn’t think you were gonna wake up,” she frowned. 

“How long was I out for?” his brows knit together.

“Couple minutes,” 

He chuffed contritely. “What a great father I’ve been so far,”

“Don’t feel too bad. I tried to convince you I could keep a premature baby alive with no doctors,” 

She felt his laugh rumble through his chest, prompting her to look up at him again. 

Callie’s eyes fluttered shut when he pressed his lips to hers, leaning deeper into his hold when he held her jaw so he could continue to caress her lips sweetly, the last of his bubbling rage falling to his feet.

“How’re y’all makin’ out with a missing ear and hole blown into your head?” 

Callie felt Nick’s displeased sigh before he looked behind her to see Ward trudging towards them, still holding her tight against his chest as his partner came to stand beside the two. 

“Glad you two made up so I ain’t caught in the middle’a one of those petty fights again,” he sassed, but Callie stared at him defiantly, burrowing her face tighter against Nick as he held around her shoulders. “You okay mamas?” 

She nodded, unwillingly pulling from her Orc when Daryl started handing off various medical instruments and bandaging from the worn backpack Tikka had brought along. 

“We’ve had all this the entire time?” Nick asked. 

“Nah, this is uh… what’s-her-name’s bag,” he explained, grabbing some gauze and tape for himself. 

“Rania,” Callie corrected, meeting Nick’s vexed expression. “What?”

“She’s part of the reason we’re here,” 

“Then why else would she save you?” Callie pressed Ward, but he was answerless. “Look at her now,”

“Look at _us_ now.” Ward muttered, walking away. She rolled her eyes, returning to the matter at hand. 

 

“Hold still,” she again said, face lined in concentration as she carefully- despite her hands being more unsteady than usual- used the metal tweezers to delicately pick out the debris left in the stab wound in Nick’s shoulder. The worst, which had been a few jagged pieces of rooftop and a piece of wood splintering off of the biggest fragment into his flesh had passed, but every light brush of gauze or the tweezers shot down his arm, causing a hard recoil or loud growl. 

“There’s like a little pebble or something,” she winced, but a hard shudder and shake of his head stopped her. “Reached your limit?” 

He nodded, exhaling hard when she dropped the tweezers in the sink beside him. “It’s the poking. Makes me nauseous,” 

“I’m sorry,” she patted his cheek gently before tearing open more packets of gauze, preparing a makeshift bandage. 

Nick was fighting back a growl when he wiped a doused cloth over his clipped ear, his line of sight moving behind Callie and over Rania, still laid across the couch. She hadn’t made a peep since being laid there, but he knew she wasn’t sleeping. Occasionally she’d tilt her head in the direction of a sound, quietly observing the world around her without sight. 

Her fragile state didn’t convince Nick, however. 

He’d seen a hole blasted through Leila only to rise again and nearly kill him. Bright’s were a race all in their own; underestimating their ability wasn’t something he did lightly. 

“Hush,” Callie snapped lowly, smoothing the tape along his skin, silencing his low protests. 

“They should have her tied up,” 

She glared down at him flatly. “Did you see the hole in her stomach?”

“I’ve seen what Bright’s can bounce back from,” he retorted. 

“There’s no bouncing back from a _dolo_ spell,” Tikka walked into the room, carrying with her a few bottles of water and another backpack. 

“A what?” Callie asked, changing places with Nick once he’d pulled his shirt back down. 

“It’s the deceit spell. It maims, then heals, but the damage is left behind to tear you from the inside out,” she interpreted, glancing at the two. “I can’t believe he used it on her,” 

“Can’t be surprised your students use what you teach,” Nick mumbled, grunting when Callie pinched his side. He shrugged, helping her move her sticky hair aside to see the wound across her scalp. 

“We don’t teach torture spells. They take time, practice- practice on _living_ subjects,” 

Callie hissed when he found the wound, which was actually a small section of her scalp that’d been lifted from her skull. Hesitation stuttered his actions. 

“The other Brights,” 

The three looked to Rania who’d opened her eyes, still bloodshot and sunken. “I think he practiced on them,” she rasped, shaking her head. “He was as absent as he was involved,”

“That accounts for you too,” Nick commented, enduring a harder smack to his side. 

“Knock it off,” Callie ground out. 

“No! They’ve been telling us nothing but how dangerous they are and how imperative it is to stop them and now you want me to show mercy? After _her_ little boyfriend tried to kill you? After he killed Pucca?” he grilled, taking turns looking between the girls. 

“That was before _this_ ,” Tikka tried, but Nick was unshakable as he waved a hand and turned back to Callie. 

“How do you know she won’t turn on us?”

For that, Tikka’s silence was his only response. 

“What if she leads him to us?” he pressed, and caught Rania arching her neck to glance back at Tikka who’s eyes darted away nervously. 

Nick scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m not trusting her until she’s dead or in MTF’s hands.” 

He pulled Callie off of the table carefully to lead her away, but she still looked at Rania apologetically before they cut deeper into the house. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, or maybe it was the hormones that opened up avenues of empathy she didn’t know she had, but something in her spoke for Rania’s protection. 

It could’ve also been because of her own halfling calling for attention every time her stomach growled.

Tikka hesitated before sorting out the remaining items in hand, her movements uncoordinated. 

“They think we’ve found you all this time? On our own?” 

Rania’s voice troubled her enough to drop something, but Tikka couldn’t find the words after a few tense seconds passed. 

“Does Fero even know you’ve been leading us here since the beginning?” 

Now she stopped altogether, turning, but didn’t cross the room to face Rania. “No,”

“Why?” 

Tikka fidgeted. “He wouldn’t have stayed with me,” 

Saying it out loud shed light on how ridiculous that actually was. The same logic she’d once used to convince herself that was of sound reason wasn’t even traceable across the tracks of her mind once her own foolishness set in, and Rania’s silence only burderened that. 

Tikka didn’t have the courage to face the twice betrayal in Rania’s eyes as she rushed past her, choosing to dart through the house to find Fero. 

↠

“If we can just get him into the open we’d have the advantage,” Tikka rubbed her eyes, leaning onto her knees towards the fire. 

“We’d still have to disarm him,” Nick grumbled, cheek rested against Callie’s head where she leaned into his side. 

“That’s Ward,” Tikka pointed to Daryl who was leaned tiredly into his own palm, lifting either leg to keep his feet warm in the icy night. “I can keep his attention but if you don’t call that wand-”

“I know, I know, won’t happen again,” he assured half-heartedly, still picking at the last of his canned food. 

“We still need somewhere that has cover,” Fero prodded the fire, tossing in a few leafy branches to keep it lively. 

“Cover around here means going into town,” Callie said through her jaw; she had no desire to lift her head, and could barely keep her eyes open as she stared at the flames, wrapped in found jackets and a blanket for good measure, but even with all of that and Nick’s arm around her, the biting cold still found it’s way in.

“At least it’s a barren town,” Fero cracked, unphased by their glares. 

“Is it really just as simple as Daryl calling the wand?” Nick asked. “What if he does that thing to get away?” 

“Carry? I mean, there’s a possibility. I could stun him beforehand or at least try so he couldn’t sneak off like that,” Tikka rationalized. 

“This whole plan is sittin’ on that then,” Daryl miffed. 

“A plan is better than no plan,” she fought back, her line of sight cutting to the somewhat house behind him, then to Fero. “Can we take her with?” 

Fero’s brow wrinkled. “You know she doesn’t have that long. I’d give her another 24 hours max,” 

“We can’t just leave her here alone,” 

Callie adjusted herself so her chin rested in her palm. “What happened to her? How did she end up here?” she asked, ignoring Nick’s low groan. 

“I told you she was-”

“Attacked, I know, but how did she end up with him?” she pressed. 

Tikka smoothed her hands down her thighs to her knees. “They were lovers. In a compound full of Elves I imagine they found great solace in each other,” she explained earnestly. 

“Why didn’t he stop with the ones who attacked her?” Ward asked then. 

“By then they’d both been beaten into the dirt by everyone at least once, so everyone became a target. His rage isn’t random, it was dormant,” Tikka tossed another twig into the fire, setting loose a small whisp of sparks that crackled loudly.

“How old are they?” Nick asked. 

“They’re both 19,” Tikka spoke surely, the same statement having haunted her thoughts before.

Nick scoffed then. “They’re fucking babies,” 

“Long past their adolescence where they’re from,” Fero defended, locking eyes with the Orc who had now come to shrug off anything the curly haired Elf said. 

Nick still shook his head. “Like it’s the only place with those conditions. I can’t believe we’re running from a fucking child,” 

“Not for long. This plan will work,” Tikka tried to say encouragingly between them, but their hearts were void of any hope just as their stomachs were of any decent food. Instead, they looked on to the fire, collecting its warmth when the world around them felt cold and unfamiliar. 

She too looked to the flames once again. “It’ll work this time.” 

It was silently that they all started to wander back into the small house after the fire had started to dwindle, spitting into low embers that barely kept their hands warm. 

Nick reserved the only bed for Callie, hissing his own curses in return when Fero objected, but both women silenced their lovers and moved to separate ends of the house, leaving Ward to stretch across an old, creaking rocking chair he was longer than. 

It was also decided upon that night that around the clock watches needed to be kept, and to Nick’s insistence, in the kitchen where Rania still laid, unable to even sit up pointed out by none other than Callie. Even if Tikka and Daryl hadn’t kept up on his persistence, he still trudged into the kitchen to sit at the windows side once Ward had come to wake him for his turn. 

He’d almost forgotten they were holed up in an unknown individuals home somewhere deep in the hills of Mexico when he spun groggily from his slumber to face Daryl, and untangling from Callie once realization had set in made it all the harder to come to terms with their situation, _again_. 

Unwillingly he slipped his arm from under her head, his touch running down her side to linger at her hip as he gazed down upon her, sleeping and for a short while oblivious to the danger closing in on them. Nick almost couldn’t summon the willpower to leave her side, even in the cramped bed, when he pulled her hair from her neck and face, grinning when she curled into a tighter ball, her arm draped over her bulging stomach. 

_I’m sorry_. He pulled his hand back into his lap, looking at her silhouette under the moonlight peaking through the lace curtains as he stood. The patterns dripping over her were foreign, but her curves carved deeper into his memory than his own fingerprints. 

Nick walked away before he allowed the stunning urge to pick her up and carry her out into the night, to take her anywhere else but where they were until he found his way home overtook him, but that desire burned to animosity, and it showed in his displeased glower when he walked into the kitchen and his eyes drifted over Rania. 

It still shook the occasional growl from his lungs when he’d sigh, staring tiredly out the dirty window and over the pitch black landscape, only a dull house light here and there, sometimes the distant call of a coyote.

Nick yawned wide, leaning back in the small chair that creaked beneath his weight. The longer he struggled to keep his eyes open the more he realized how useless this watch was. There wasn’t much of anything Nick could do himself if Makhel came waltzing up again. 

He glanced back at Rania. She could’ve already alerted Makhel; he could’ve been on his way. 

He growled, crossing his arms. 

“You’re right, you know,” 

Nick turned in his chair to find Rania looking at him, and now that he was concentrating on her, he could see the pale marbling starting to discolor her hands and across her jaw. He glanced at the living room, but didn’t know why it made him uneasy to speak to her without Tikka present. 

“Excuse me?” 

“About what you said earlier, being held accountable for this mess,” she rasped, eyes illuminating in the minimal light when the low beams of a car swung by. “I had opportunities to stop him and I didn’t,” 

Nick scoffed, swiveling back to face the window to hide the annoyance flickering across his features. 

“I was scared. He was all I had,” 

“You could have ran,” he blurted before thinking, turning head just enough to make sure his words made it to her. 

“That’s easier said than done. Who would’ve believed me?” she asked, but Nick didn’t acknowledge her. She only had the plain of his back and an ear flicking in annoyance. “I know, not even Orcs like talking to halflings,” 

“Don’t put that on me. I may not like you but I’m not that low,” he snapped vehemently below his breath, spinning in his seat. “Plus, you’re a _hybrid_ ,”

“And you’re expecting a halfling of your own,” she stated, conjuring enough energy to grin at him, and it only grew when his nose crinkled and brows knit together. 

Nick continued to glare until her smile dwindled, but she continued to stare back, clearly not unnerved by an Orcs first line of defense: their looks alone. 

“Why did you save Daryl?” he came right out with, at last shaking the adamancy in which she gazed at him with. Momentary guilt flushed him; the girl was literally dying and here he was doing his best to make her feel worse about it. 

“I understand why Makhel did what he did in the beginning, because I can say that if I’d been forced to simply ignore the attackers that crippled my lover, I’d have done the same. But with every other Bright killed, it went from revenge to drunk off the satisfaction of killing. Somehow, along the way, I let his hand go and let him wander away, and now I can’t find him,” she confessed lowly, her head rolling to the side to hide the tear that skipped down her cheek.

“None of you deserve to have him trying to tear your lives apart, and when I tried-” her voice broke, hands fumbling weakly over her stomach. “I couldn’t allow him to take another life.They were not his to decide upon,” 

“Even if it means giving up your own?” Nick dared, looking to her again. 

“If mine ending that night could’ve prevented this, I’d gladly hand it over,” 

Nick’s face tensed in unease. “You’re too young to be throwing your life away like that,” he said calmer, an heir of combative nature in his tone. 

Her shoulder rose as her chin dipped in what he guessed was a weak shrug. “I’ve lived what my life would’ve always had. I’m not destined for great things. I experienced everything I wanted once, and I’m at peace with that,” Rania declared softly, her eyes sliding shut.

Nick studied those words and let silence pass between them for some time, continuing to look beyond the sparse street outside. 

Sometimes he thought he’d see shadows shooting by, and would tense, ready to fight, but they’d melt back into the night, completely untraceable. Just like Makhel had been under Kandomere’s watchful eye. 

“How did you keep finding them?” 

Rania’s eyes cracked open. 

“We knew about you weeks through MTF, but she said you two were trailing them for months. You happened to know exactly where we were going when we left LA,” Nick explained, finally unraveling the confusion that had swam circles in his mind. 

“There wasn’t much finding as there was following,” Rania simply stated, and Nick’s stomach flipped. 

“She left a trail?” 

“Like breadcrumbs,” 

Nick’s face twisted in disgust. “He was in my house- he found us at Ward’s,” he exhaled.

“We found you in Mexico when she wanted us to,” 

He was looking at her in horror, feeling as if all the shadows about him were suddenly the exact shapes of a rogue Bright, ready to cast the next spell directly into the side of his head, then Callie’s, and everyone else's. 

“He’ll find us,” Nick stated, definitely, and she nodded slowly. 

“She’ll make sure of it,” 

When Nick stood suddenly, Rania raised her hand. “Don’t run. She’s traitorous, but she’s also your protection. Makhel knows your scent, knows your wife’s. I will be forever sorry, but let Tikka fall with him, not you.” 

Nick was glanced around frantically a few more times before rushing into the living room where he walked into Tikka stood on the other side of the dividing wall, listening and looking up at him in horror. 

He burned to throw her against a wall and strangle the life from her… but what Rania said echoed in his mind. She really was their only protection. 

Nick choked down a pained whimper, his face a world of hurt. 

“Jakoby-” 

She flattened against the wall when he pointed threateningly, snarling lowly down at her with bared teeth. Tikka whimpered when he let his fist slam into the wall beside her head in restraint, stomping past her to the back of the house. 

She thought of chasing after him and pleading her case, but truth rang louder than reason, and she could only assume that this had been the incident to break his trust in her completely. 

“Is there something you want to tell me too?” Fero’s voice floated to her calmly, and she spun to find him stretched across a thin cushioned couch, peeking at her from under his arm draped over his eyes. 

 

Nick had to stop the door from slamming when he reflexively swung it behind himself, but it was still arduous to do anything quietly when all he wanted was to tear the floorboards up and crack furniture over each other. 

He paced, hard breaths flaring through his nostrils. The bone deep chill of the night didn’t even bother him anymore. He could’ve fueled a locomotive with the insane measure of fury coming off of him, but there was nowhere to channel it. He had to push it down, contain it. There was no option other than to sit, and wait, and do what he could to keep Callie and Leo safe, and that was the worst of it. 

There was absolutely nothing he could do to keep the danger from them that wasn’t the strength he had in his own hands, or the fierce protectiveness in his own heart. 

He leaned against his knees, fighting to catch his breath when the thoughts in his head melted together into a screaming tornado. 

It was some time before taking a breath felt fulfilling again; like his lungs were capable of holding it in before gasping it out, and soon he found himself sat beside the warped window that distorted everything outside, but he knew he wouldn’t gain even a minutes worth of sleep. Even if he, a mere Orc who was no match against a Bright, could slow Makhel down long enough to give Callie a running start, he’d remain awake to make sure she had that chance. 

That in itself plagued him greatly. There was no second thoughts about throwing his life down to spare hers, but to think there was never a chance to see her walk down a church’s isle and claim his last name as her own, or to see how much of himself was in Leo almost brought him to his knees. 

He ran his hands from his face to the back of his head, his knee bouncing wildly. 

“My bad habits rubbing off on you?” 

Callie’s voice washed over him like a warm blanket on a cold night. He found her big eyes next, heavy with sleep and blinking the last of it away as she looked at him. 

He could only muster a weak grin, looking down at his hands. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, but before he shrugged, there was a long pause, long enough for her to see the torment swimming across his features, even in the darkness of the room. “Tell me,” 

He wanted to tell her, he really did, but the cautionary glance he took towards the door prompted her to rise, suppressing a groan as she moved to sit before him on the dresser under the window. 

“Tell me baby,” she urged gently, holding his hands. 

The devastation in his eyes frightened her. 

“Tikka’s been leading him to us all along. Since the beginning… she’s made sure they always knew where they were, and now where _we_ were,” he croaked, dropping his eyes from hers. “He’ll come for us again and he’ll know exactly where because she’ll make sure of it,”

It rose goosebumps along Callie’s arms and neck. “How do you know?”

“Rania,” 

“What if she’s-”

“Tikka heard it all. She didn’t deny any of it,” he finalized, and Callie looked down at their hands as he did. 

Her thumbs traced the patterns splashed across knuckles. 

“I didn’t think it was a coincidence that he kept finding us,” Callie admitted, and Nick nodded. 

“I didn’t want to think it was true,” he sighed, looking up as she did. He could see the gravity of realization setting deeper into her mind, but Callie surprisingly remained composed, far better than he had. “Do you know how much I love you?”

Confused flickered across her features. 

“If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I ever would’ve smiled again, or laughed,” 

She tilted her head. “Nick,”

“I owe you everything. Before I met you I was okay with… I was okay dying at work. The thought of leaving it all behind didn’t bother me much, but you gave me a reason to make it home everyday just as much as one to get up every morning,” he confessed, squeezing her hands when his words clearly unsettled her. “You gave my world color again,” 

A gentle push against his chest furrowed his thoughts. “You gotta give yourself more credit than that. I mean I know I’m pretty awesome,” she paused to catch his smirk. “But _you_ were the one who wandered into the store. You walked into my life at just the right time,” she spoke sincerely, stilling his head when he shook in disagreement. “But I expect years and years with you, Nick. I don’t want anything less than forever,” 

He fought the tremble in his bottom lip and chin, his eyes pinching shut, falling into her chest when she wound her arms around his neck. 

Nick clung to her desperately, his fingers curling into her clothing as he squeezed around her. 

“I love him,” he wavered, dropping his cheek to her stomach, his arms sliding down her frame. “I wanted to meet him so badly-” he barely stopped that sob, pressing his face there. 

“No, Nick stop, look at me,” she demanded, barely able to hoist him back up to hold his misty cheeks. “Don’t you _dare_ give up yet. I want to meet the son we fought 3 years to make together and I need you there. He needs to know how strong his father is,” she pleaded, smoothing her thumbs over a stray tear across his cheek. “We need you, baby,”

It was weak, and unsure, but Nick nodded, closing his eyes to rest his forehead against hers as she softly calmed him, chasing away the dark clouds raining over him. 

“I love you,” she kissed into his lips. “I love you so, so much,” 

He cradled her face now, leaving no minute space between their mouths as fell into her spell, moaning softly as she whispered sweet words to him only; ones that he’d come to recognize as a secret only for him, always leading him further into her bounding love. 

So when her tongue tentatively poked into his mouth, it didn’t strike him as dangerous or irresponsible to take advantage of what could be their last night together as a couple, or as a family. 

His big hands dragged over her curves, her own smoothing down his sides, holding his hips as she sighed into his kisses. 

Her starved whimpers shot heat down to every nerve ending of his body when she arched towards his palm that slid down her chest, his open, gasping mouth soon following to lav his tongue over the skin of her throat that craned back. 

Callie cried softly into the night when he pulled her by the hair aside to sink his teeth under her jaw, only daring to prick her skin this time knowing no matter what happened, she’d be his forever. Her blood coated his tongue, and she felt the guttural growl rumble through both of them.

Her fingers digging into his arms told him to keep going, as did the urgency of her kisses when she caught his mouth again, ignoring her own coppery blood and pressing as tight as she could against him with her belly in the way. 

She didn’t protest when he pulled her from the dresser and spun her, but instead leaned back into his chest, pushing down her own jeans and panties as he buried his face in her hair, her breasts nearly flattening in his tight hold. 

Nick groused noisily, a hand skipping down her body to cup her sex, his middle fingers pressing into her soft lips. He drank in that soft sigh, and for a few moments turned her jaw to watch how her plump lips parted in breathless moans as he circled her clit slowly, blessing her hot mouth with featherlight kisses. 

She started to loosen in his hold, her hand over his as he touched her only how _he_ knew she adored, almost content with watching her fall apart in his arms. 

He pressed his face into her cheek to inhale and taste her skin while he made quick work of pushing down his own jeans until he sprung free. 

Callie always knew how to arch her body so she could remain close, and with a hand around her throat and another guiding himself, he pushed into her slick center, both of them moaning as the inches passed until he was seated tight against her cheeks. 

Nick chuffed loudly, unable to open his eyes or control the louder moans as he rocked into her, committed to remembering- no, living these last moments like they were their last. 

He soaked in her walls tight around him, her soft pleas and whimpers in his name, her chest heaving under his touch as he caressed her entirely. 

She worshipped his brawny body against hers, always steadfast and protective, his heavy arm around her ensuring she’d never fall from his grasp. 

His hand fell over her mouth when she sobbed, smiling, her cries heightening with his face pressed down against her shoulder and his hips slapping against her ass forcefully, barely muffled by the small room they were in or the thin door that hid their meeting. He growled in her ear, speaking to her in soft Orkish prayers, her name slipping in here and there, whispering her own words of admiration once his hand lifted from her mouth to kiss her firmly. 

 

If he wasn’t staring out the window, he was looking at his fingers making curls with her hair cascaded over her shoulder, sometimes peering down at her when she’d shift at his side. Her cheek slid around his chest when he kissed the top of her head, pressing that much closer to him. 

They basked in their afterglow silently, only the soft brushes of their fingertips across the backs of their hands or stolen kisses being the words they needn’t speak. 

Nick moved to feel every one of Leo’s kicks, eventually changing place with Callie to rest his head below her bust so he could speak softly to his son and tell him for every kick counted would be a kiss upon his cheek when he finally got to hold him. 

He promised him safety in his arms for the entirety of his life, and love to match that, and swore he’d always be the home and comfort he needed in a world not made for them. 

When the sun started to cast blue across the horizon, neither had slept, but neither had feel exhaustion. 

Callie had returned to Nick’s chest, his arm curled safely behind her as they rested against the headboard, soaking in their last moments of silence, and peace. Neither bothered moving when they started to hear the others move about the rickety home, some light talking between Ward and Tikka. 

Nick only squeezed Callie, watching the sun rise quicker than it ever had before. 

“It’ll end today,” he spoke, confident in what he said, but not of an outcome either were certain of. “We’re going home today.” 

Callie nodded against his chest. 

_Dead, or alive?_


	12. Fading

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> caution: this chapter stirs _emotions_  
>  okay carry on 🖤 and thank you to everyone who's stuck around even though the updating schedule is erratic now! 😭

A veil had been dropped over Tikka since her long standing secret had been exposed, one that even Fero honored as they all went about preparing to leave. Though she’d speak in hushed tones to him, sometimes leaning in to pull his concentration from whatever task was at hand, it proved worthless. He’d give only curt nods or some other kind of stiff gesture to show that he was listening, but that was as far as his civility extended. 

A part of Nick felt guilt to have so effectively turned the majority of them against her, but a greater part urged him to remember that she’d lead them to this under the guise of innocence. 

Still, as Fero moved away from her just as quickly as she’d approached, he couldn’t help but see part of her as the timid elf they’d found those years ago, hiding under his arm and afraid to meet Ward’s critical glare. 

“What’s up with those two?” Daryl appeared beside him. 

Nick exhaled. He still hadn’t told Ward. 

He looked over to his partner. Clearly he’d gotten about as much sleep as he, and Nick felt more guilt agitate his empty stomach. 

“I gotta talk to you about something,” Nick intoned, motioning towards a quieter corner of the cramped house. 

“What now?” Daryl groaned, still following. 

 

Callie stuffed another pillow behind her, helping Rania recline into an upright position. 

“Is that okay?” she asked, and Rania nodded stiffly. 

“Okay as it can be,” she rasped, her bloodshot eyes cracking open and licking her dry lips. 

“Here,” Callie offered, her hands steadier than Rania’s when she lifted a glass of water to her lips. It was taken down in tentative sips, never daring more than what could wash across her tongue. Since early that morning, the capacity of her lungs had dropped considerably, leaving her panting and sweating. 

Her body was slowly shutting down, organ by organ. The marbling was across her chest and shoulders now, leisurely making it’s way up her neck with every passing minute; it even dulled the pretty emerald of her markings. 

“You should try to eat something,” Callie insisted, trading the cup for a banana when she pushed it away. 

“I’m not hungry,” Rania battled weakly, but Callie was already peeling and breaking it into small pieces. “I don’t even think I could swallow,” 

“If you can swallow blood you can manage a bite of banana,” Callie pushed, holding up a palmful of bite sized pieces Rania looked over skeptically. “Do I have to feed you?”

Rania’s hazels met Callie’s caramels, but she gave in quickly. Something about this human gave her the impression she wasn’t one to give up easily. 

“You should have mercy on someone who’s dying,” she mumbled, squishing a piece in her mouth. 

“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” 

Rania’s brow cocked, but she continued to watch Callie as she ate, her eyes eventually drifting downwards. 

“How far along are you?” 

The smallest of a grin kicked the corners of Callie’s lips up. “20 weeks,” 

“A little boy?”

Callie’s brows furrowed. “How’d you know?”

“I heard your husband talking about him to the other human,”

Callie nodded, warmth blooming in her heart. 

“You’re lucky to have someone so fiercely protective by your side. He reminds me of my father,” Rania drifted sadly, adjusting her head to look outwards without focusing. Her hand dropped to her stomach. She’d reached her limit after only a few bites, depositing them back into Callie’s palm. 

Her eyes roamed over her worsening form. Her legs shook of their own accord, sometimes rocketing up her shoulders even with a blanket draped across her, but a fever as high as hers needed to be broken so she wasn’t in complete agony before she crossed over. 

Callie swallowed. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the dread she assumed was being tightly concealed from everyone else. 

“What’s your dads name?” 

Rania’s eyes flickered to her before she smacked her chapped lips a few time. “Tannatar,” 

“Do you… do you want us to find them? And tell them?” Callie asked softly. 

Tears burned her eyes as she watched them pool in Rania’s, but the hybrid still shook her head. 

“Please don’t. They’ll have no body to find or bury,” she croaked, clearing her throat only to be thrown into a ragged coughing fit. Her aching body curled forward, her breaths in just as webbed and bloody as the coughs blowing it all out. 

Callie didn’t hesitate to help her hold the cloth under her mouth, uncaring of the blood spilling down her arm or the fierce grip around her wrist as Rania struggled to find her breath again. There was an extended period before the fit passed, but it left her deflated, and pale, some of the little life she had left expelled from her. 

“I’m fine,” Rania wheezed, pulling her body down the couch with her heels. “You need to leave,”

“We’ll leave soon,” Callie fronted, coming back with a wet washcloth to wipe the blood from her chin and hands. The cool rag against her febrile skin was a welcome relief, and Rania’s eyes closed in the brief moments contentedness, her head leaning into Callie’s touch. 

The expectant mother looked on sympathetically. It had her mind turning; Leo was attached to her with every step, and during all of this she’d often felt that his wellbeing was out of her control. One wrong step could end his life and there would be little to nothing she could do to stop such a fate, yet here Rania was, alone, with her parents surely wondering where their daughter was and what kind of harm was befalling her. 

Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them away, smoothing her hand across Rania’s beautiful waves that were partially plastered to her cheek. 

“You didn’t deserve this,” Callie whispered, opening Rania’s tired eyes. 

Her eyes glossed over the longer she looked up at Callie, her chin starting to tremble. “Neither did you,” 

Callie’s other hand came to hold her face, the words of sympathy and apology unspoken as she offered what little comfort she could in her dying moments, but in the end, her last breaths would be alone. 

“Cal,”

She turned to find Nick waiting in the entryway, looking on soft heartedly and ready to depart. 

“Can’t we take her?” Callie pleaded, but Nick only exhaled. 

“It’d be too much on her,” he mumbled, and Rania nodded in agreement.

“I’m fine here,” she assured, pulling Callie’s hands into her own and smiling at her with weak encouragement. “This is where I need to be,” 

A tear finally skid down Callie’s cheek. “I’m so sorry,” 

Rania shook her head. “No. I’m at peace here,” 

Nick had walked up behind Callie to grab her hand when Rania passed her off, smiling up at the pair she’d grown fond of in such a brief amount of time. But before Nick followed a sorrowful Callie out, he reached down to grab Rania’s hand, covering it with his other palm. 

“Thank you. For saving my friends life,” 

She smiled again, his heart clenching when blood coated her sharp teeth and short tusks. “Baj iav votar for ukon.” 

Her hand fell back into her lap limply once he’d let her go, lingering a moment longer before he followed Callie out. 

It felt unjust to leave her like that, defenseless and abandoned, but never before had his hands been so tied. In the end, it was the most humane option, but Nick couldn’t deny feeling an urge to at least stay nearby until he knew she’d passed on, just so she wasn’t completely alone. 

Tikka only stepped around the entryway enough to look at Rania diffidently, then Fero, but there was only nods exchanged between them before they too left, silently closing the door behind them. 

She was left staring into the shadowed living room, the peeling walls with sparse pictures hung and old furniture on its last legs. 

She looked at her own feet. The pain ripping through her only amplified when she wiggled her toes in her shoes; even wincing was a strenuous. It was in her muscles just as it was in her bones, touching every inch of skin, swelling her gums and lungs. 

The world was silent around her, not even the normal drifting of wind outside to keep her company. 

Rania thought she’d find peace by herself, reacquainting with the body and mind she’d willingly given to keep Makhel happy… but now, she only looked at the spot beside her that was empty. As were her hands, and heart. 

As the lonely seconds ticked by, and hot tears spilled down her cheeks, her deepest desires in her dying moments realized, even after the turmoil she’d experienced that had ultimately landed her where she was. 

_I want Makhel_. 

↠

They all walked in silence and unknown direction down the dirt road lining the last of the sparse houses and shacks, chilled even under the glaring sun. 

Ward alongside Callie and Nick followed loosely behind Tikka and Fero, the lot unsure of any guidance they gave, but wandering off on their own would still lead them to unknown when they didn’t even know what town they were in.

Daryl circled behind Callie to pop back up at Nick’s side, bumping his elbow. 

“What if she’s already called him?” he asked lowly, eyes remaining forward. 

“She said she’d wait ‘til we’re ready,” Nick whispered back. 

“You really trust what she says?”

“No but all we _have_ is her word,” Nick exhaled in agitation. 

“What if we just dipped? They haven’t looked back at us since we started walking,” Callie offered silently, but Nick shook his head. 

“What would we do if we ran into Makhel first?”

“I ain’t got no wand,” Ward muttered. 

“Do you really think he’d go after us over Tikka?” Callie questioned, and Nick nodded. 

“He hated me before even knowing me when we came to face to face. He was ready to kill,” he looked at Callie’s conflicted expression, the crushing visions of her meeting a fate similar to Rania’s plaguing his mind. “If it means keeping you safe, I’ll follow her,”

Callie frowned, but still slipped her hand into his to rest her head against his shoulder as they continued down the dusty lane. 

It would’ve been kinder to all of their exhausted conditions if a car would’ve come along that they could’ve hitchhiked in, but it remained a quiet, barren trek into the nearest city. 

“Why couldn’t you just Carry us there?” Ward had broken through the silence to ask. 

Tikka offered him a terse nod before replying, “Carrying too much can be damaging. Plus, I’d have no idea where I was landing. That’s how we ended up here.” 

So that resulted in their nearly 2 hour hike through the cold desert landscape that the small shacks and houses they’d once appeared upon shrunk to nothing behind them, and often throughout that journey, they questioned if they were willingly walking to their demise at the mercy of the harsh wilderness. 

Callie’s back ached fiercely, but she stifled any complaints knowing everyone carried their own ailments, but anytime Leo swirled calmer than usual, she feared he was succumbing to the stress of the passing days of this otherworldly situation they were stuck in. 

The distant sight of old buildings clustered at the center of an older city was a welcome sight, but dread woke in their hearts faster than hope did. 

Nick and Callie’s palms pressed tighter together, a worried glance passing between them as the distance closed. Callie’s other hand lingered comfortingly against Ward’s arm, but he was gnawing at his inner lip nervously, his hands clenching and loosening into tight fists. The closer they came, the moving forms of people going about their day in the open-air market became clearer. 

Families choosing was lush veggies stacked impressively in woven baskets, food vendors that were alive with flavors and scents, children running around their legs with makeshift toys in hand. 

“We shouldn’t do this here,” Nick had caught up to hiss beside Tikka’s ear. 

“We need cover, this is the only place for miles-”

“What about all these people!?” 

“They’ll scatter! We have no choice!” She bit back just as vehemently, unfazed when he chuffed loudly. “Get back and stay with Callie.”

Though now would’ve been the prime time to slip into the crowds and effectively disappear, Nick stayed, knowing if he acted on his impulse, the guilt of abandoning Ward would inevitably destroy him. 

Tikka trailed back between them just as Nick had looped an arm behind Callie, searching for the right spot to stuff her into before hell rained down on them. 

“You stay concealed until I tell you to call his wand. Stay out of sight, all of you. He won’t hesitate to blow through any of us if he gets the chance.” She ordered, stepping away quickly to meet Fero’s side again as he scoped out their surroundings. 

The elves were moving into the center of the market, speaking lowly under the lively bustle of the people around them, and Ward followed alongside, following when she pointed him in the direction of high wall of goods being sold. 

“Nick,” Callie gasped panickedly, gripping his arm. 

“You’re okay, we’ll be fine,” he tried to sound reassuring, but he was fighting his own terror, searching manically for any corner to hide in. 

She was already breathing raggedly, eyes wide and jumping as she clung to him. 

“Callie look at me, look at me!” he stopped, holding her face. “We’re gonna be fine, okay? We’re gonna hide and this is gonna be over-” 

They felt the sharp sting of the blazing shots slice through the skin of their arms and Callie’s thigh before they could register the rest of the attack still whistling by them, punching into bystanders bodies and tearing apart anything in its way. 

Callie’s yelp was lost amongst the screaming of the strangers around them frantically gathering their children to run in all directions, many of them dropping around each others feet. Nick caught her as she fell forward, pulling her to the side and out of the line of another searing shot that grazed her cheek. 

They both flinched as the bricks above their heads cracked loudly when the impact chipped it, and Callie struggled through curses and growing pain to limp beside Nick. 

“Motherfucker-” she hissed, finally stumbling to the ground as he flipped a small table sat beside a business’s back entrance in the alley they ducked into to shield them, kneeling before her to take in the blood pooling under her hand. 

“Move your hand,” he ordered, quickly replacing it with his own when blood flowed freely. “It’s deep,” 

She looked at him. “Your arm,”

He pulled her hand to press over the wound, even when she winced. “Keep it there,” he instructed before quickly darting away, ducking when a few more shots struck the adjacent wall and the tabletops of the destroyed booths lining it. Quickly he snatched a couple shirts hanging from the booth, rushing back to her side and ripping them to shreds with his teeth. 

She cursed when he knotted the strips tightly around her thigh, holding it down when she tried to squirm from his grasp before moving onto her arm. 

“Tikka!”

They both froze, looking to the narrow entrance of the alley. The distant screams of people faded, leaving the once bustling market a quiet landscape, bodies littered about with crimson puddles painting the dirt road. 

He moved her aside carefully, dipping below the shield of the table and kneeling as an extra buffer before her while they cautiously peered over, waiting for the smoke and dust to settle. 

 

Fero struggled to rip the sleeve from his jacket, resorting to stepping on the cuff and yanking harshly upwards to tear at the seams before using it to wrap around Tikka’s waist. 

“You called him before we even got in town!” he hissed, face trembling with rage. 

She didn’t deny it, but the guilt in her pained eyes as he cinched the material even tighter around her said it all, sweat coating her face and debris sticking to her skin. 

“Tikka!” they heard Makhel call again, but Fero only glanced behind himself from where they were hidden, using the last of his torn sleeve to bind a tourniquet around his arm. One of the glowing, singing blasts had blown right through the muscle, surely chipping his humerus and maybe even a crucial vein judging by the way blood streamed down his arm like a running faucet. 

It rang blindingly, but he still reached to help hoist Tikka up, steadying her at his side as they leaned just enough to see around the corner of the building they were hidden in. 

Their fight had just begun, and they were already losing. 

But now they saw their opponent, clear as day, walking down the road and carelessly kicking aside arms or legs. 

He stalked, his eyes glowing eerily from under his hood, jumping meticulously over every detail and ready to fire at any flinch of life. 

The wand was dripping boiling plasma, but in his palm it left no damage despite melting flesh when it splashed across victims, cauterizing as it maimed. 

Makhel spun, a spitting snarl puffing from him as he became further impatient. 

“You’re always running!” he hollered, visibly shaking from where they were. 

Tikka’s head hit the wall they looked around, eyes pinched shut. “I have to end this.” 

She met Fero’s desperation, the pair utterly consumed in fear and uncertainty. She fought the whimper crawling up her throat when he pulled her into a bone crushing hug, pressing his face into her matted hair when he felt the noiseless sobs rack through her. 

“I lost Rania because of you! Come out, you coward!” Makhel boomed, his voice carrying far between the abandoned buildings. 

 

Nick grimaced, pulling his attention away from Makhel long enough to scope out the cramped alleyway. There was an exit to a separate lane behind the buildings, but to get to it meant walking between the ground littered with dropped belongings and wrecked booths. There was no way they could make it over without causing some kind of clamor, surely revealing their location. 

A choked grunt spun his attention back to Callie. 

A constricted, distressed cry was dulled by her own hand over her mouth, her face pinched under the intensity of the contraction that had started off as what she thought was a Braxton Hick and suddenly flared into a level of intensity she wasn’t prepared for. 

Nick gripped her knee, looking at her desperately with eyes wide in dread. 

It felt endless before it finally passed, and she at last looked at him, the dismay in her eyes affirming his greatest fear. 

Before she could speak, another one radiated up her stomach, sending her hands back over her mouth to stifle an anguished cry. 

 

He was taking deep inhales of the chilled air around him when crunching footsteps prompted him to spin. 

Makhel couldn’t help but smile. 

He’d wanted to find her like this. Defeated, wounded, void of any hope. 

Alone. 

He scoffed, his smile spreading wider. “Finally,” 

She rolled her shoulders, blinking away the gloss over her eyes. “Makhel,” her voice cracked, and he swayed uneasily. “What can I do to stop this?” 

His smile melted away, leaving a vacant countenance that roiled her gut. He was eerily still, as was the wands demeanor. In the shadow of the building, the sun wasn’t there to illuminate his amber eyes, so how were they seemingly gleaming?

“Nothing,” genially he stated. “I did what you should have done. I’ve eradicated your vile race,”

“You’re part of that race,” she bit back, and his eyes flickered back to her after wandering. He could’ve sworn he heard someone crying somewhere… 

“No,” he started to walk towards her slowly. “There’s great difference between pale Brights and myself. Your sister was living proof of that disease amongst your kind,”

Tikka released a shaking breath at the recollection of her slain sister. 

“The ones who crave the return of The Dark Lord, the ones who defiled my Rania- there’s something impure about your kind, I could see it from the start. All you want is to feed on what makes you powerful without understanding the cost of what you take,” he went on, but she had her eyes on the silent wand in his hand that swung freely with his expressive hands. 

“I’m doing the world a favor. After you, I’ll find the others, but it won’t be as easy without all the signals you left behind,” he laughed. 

Her face tightened. “How do you speak about Rania like you weren’t the one to kill her?” 

He stopped like he’d hit a wall. Tikka had struck a chord. 

“Don’t you dare say her name,” he snarled. 

“I watched her wither,” Tikka cried. 

“Shut up!” 

“She could have lived!” Tikka yelled, and just as Makhel’s wand thrust into the air to release a torrent of burning, lavender fire that washed across the ground like a wave, Tikka’s own wand was pulled forth, circling overhead to engulf her in a sphere of gleaming stars that split the attack. 

Makhel’s barrage splashed against walls and surrounded bodies with ferocity, leaving them piles of sizzling bones once it evaporated. 

But he had other onslaughts; silent spells that moved in zigzagging patterns, their tales leaving carved paths through the air as they blitzed against her defenses, the collisions of power cracking through the sky over them. 

 

Everytime one of the thundering attacks rang through the sky, Nick shielded her, glancing over the edge of the table to make sure their position hadn’t yet been compromised. 

But now there was this; the fierce onslaught of labor that had started at full speed and was splitting Callie down the middle, and the blood leaking down her inner thighs through her jeans. 

She only screamed into his chest when the battle rang around them, her face turning shades of red he’d never before witnessed as the intensity of the fire like wrath of the contractions grew with every passing one. 

There was nothing to help them, but he still looked around frantically, desperate to find anything that could lead them to a solution to this problem, but he was grasping at air. 

Their greatest fear was in full swing, and there was nothing to stop it. 

“Nick-” she gasped, pulling on his shirt weakly as she looked up at him, hands smeared with her own bleeding.

He held her tight against his chest as part of the building they were hidden beside blew away, likely crumbling from the inside out by the way the wall rumbled beside them. His face tightened, his heart hammering in his ribs. 

Callie shrieked pitifully into his chest, her good leg kicking out beside him until he stilled it, pulling it tight to his side so she didn’t make extra noise. He tried shushing her softly, but nothing could soothe her through the searing agony constricting her hips and midsection. 

_Not yet, Leo- please not yet_.

Nick looked down the long, obstacle filled path that would lead them to better hiding, staging every step and turn he could make with Callie in his arms. There’d be no avoiding making noise, but if he could move quick enough, maybe the battle would mask any noise he _did_ make. 

He looked back over the table; so far, they’d gone undetected. One wrong move could end their lives, however. 

There was only the option to try, though. Callie- _both_ of them were dying in his arms. 

Nick was fucking terrified. 

 

Tikka bellowed when she threw her weight into that cast, the warm blood from her gut running down her leg, but the rapid firing of the punch-like force from spell was too fast to block. 

Makhel took some of it, barely managing to stay on his feet when it rained against his side, definitely cracking a few ribs. He roared furiously, stepping around the pain despite the waver in his steps. It gave Tikka the moment to catch her breath and steady her own footing, but her vision was starting to double, her head having been pounding since their duel started. 

His wand rose before hers however, and she was sluggish in noticing it. 

A towering form skid before her, and it took her by surprise when she realized it was Ward. 

The unexpected addition also stuttered Makhel, who halted, his hairless brows furrowing. 

Despite the tremendous shake, Daryl’s hand rose, and with every shred of courage he had, he shouted, “ _Tula!_ ” 

Realization dawned on Makhel, but the wand was already yanked from his grasp. 

There was a solid moment that hope filled Daryl’s heart after watching a brief battle that he was certain Tikka would leave defeated from, but just as quickly as the wand had come flying at him, it was spinning in place before him, dripping angrily and ringing. 

The blood drained from Ward’s face when it went boomeranging back into Makhel’s grasp, pulsating pleasantly in his palm. 

Tikka moved before him again, an arm outstretched to shield him. Every step left a bloody footprint across the road, her ashen face lined with thick beads of sweat. 

Makhel laughed, his hand held over his belly and leaning back to point his face to the sky in humor. “You brought another Bright into this without a wand!?” he taunted, sharp teeth flashing in a twisted smile. 

Neither responded, but Ward felt the crushing reality of his words. 

That’s exactly what she’d done to them: doomed right from the start. 

He swallowed dryly, wanting nothing more than to hear Sophia’s voice. 

 

“Callie,” Nick whispered, holding her loose head. “Stay awake- look at me,” 

She struggled, her breathing labored and eyes glazed, but she still met his desperate eyes, nodding her head. “I’m here,” she croaked, forehead dropping to his chest as she looked down at her stomach. 

Leo’s kicks were faint, and he stilled entirely when she contracted, only the feeblest nudge letting her know he was still there through the agony. 

“I’m gonna carry you, we’re gonna get out of here but I need you to stay quiet, okay?” he begged silently, his own face sorrowing when hers did, tears following paths down her cheeks from ones previous. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he choked, holding her face. 

He glanced downwards; she was coated in red. 

Weakly she nodded, hanging off his shoulder even weaker when he carefully pushed an arm under her knees to carry her bridal style against his chest. She whimpered, pinching her eyes shut when she could feel another one tightening up her stomach. Callie grit her teeth and curled her fingers into his shirt, fighting to silence the whimpers forcing their way up her throat. 

“Nick wait,” she gasped, her heart fluttering weakly and vision fading as the strength to even keep her head up drained significantly.

"Stay awake- stay awake," he begged, angling her to get her head up, but it bobbed back over his arm. "Callie open your eyes!" he cried, shaking her, but with no response. "Baby please stay awake!" 

He couldn't even tell if she was breathing at that point, her arm slipping down to hang lifelessly beside her. 

Nick wept, daring another glance over the table before standing and turning to chance the long walk down the alley, praying for every second she had left.

Then he stopped. 

The sallow marbling had covered nearly every inch of her dark skin save for a strip of carob across her eye and cheek, and the way she staggered down the alley towards them almost convinced him he was seeing ghosts, but her hazel eyes found him and he knew she was still hanging on.

Nick stumbled back, returning to their spot as Rania stopped before him just as he’d slid down the wall, grasping Callie tighter against his chest. 

_This is it_ , he thought. _It was all a trap_. 

He still pressed his cheek to Callie’s head when Rania kneeled weakly before them, her eyes bloodshot and blood running freely from her nose and mouth down her neck. 

Nick had everything he owed his life to in his arms. His breath shook, the words bubbling in his chest that he couldn’t say. He knew Leo was likely gone, and Callie was on her way, but there was some comfort in knowing he’d be following them over soon so they didn’t have to take that journey without him. 

_I love you, Callie_. 

From her pocket she pulled a crude, misshapen stick, crooked and thin with herbs braided into the handle, swaying in her weak grasp. It let off a soft hum, the space around it trembling gently. 

Nick flinched when her other hand hovered over Callie as she breathed weakly into his chest, but the soft, sunshine like glow from the stick in hand hypnotized him. 

Softly, like whispers in a church, she recited ancient charms that brought forth gentle sparkles of warm light from the herbs around the makeshift wand, drifting peacefully around Callie like dandelion seeds in the breeze. They melted into her skin- against her pale, misty cheeks and limp arms, across her belly where Leo hadn’t nudged, illuminating under her skin for only a moment before fizzling out. They shined brightly in Nick's glossy eyes, bringing with them a sense of serenity. 

The blood once coating her skin and clothes lifted like oil in water, splitting into smaller drops that dissipated around them. It peeled off his own hands, sometimes bumping under his chin softly or running up his cheek as the last of it disappeared before him.

Callie’s breathing strengthened as the seconds ticked by, the last of the ethereal lights landing across her form and becoming parts of her as Rania’s soft voice quieted until the battling became the world around them once again.

She was unconscious, but the labor had halted. No longer did she scream into his chest or kick wildly, and when he moved to press his palm against her stomach, Leo was spinning again. 

Nick exhaled shakily, looking to Rania, speechless, horrified- so many emotions he couldn’t hold down before the next one swarmed him. 

He looked down at Callie again, pulling her shoulder in so her head lolled closer before looking up at Rania who was staggering towards the street they fought on. 

“Rania,” Nick called, but there wasn’t another turn in his direction as she carried on. 

A soft groan from Callie brought him back, and he sat her straighter, holding her face. 

“Callie? Baby?” he called softly, moving her wet hair back from her face, elated to see her eyes opening. There were a few beats of faint confusion flickering across her face before she managed to lift her head, and look down at her hand that slid over her stomach. Nick’s covered hers when Leo kicked, a breathless sob slipping past her lips. 

"He's okay," she rasped, and Nick cried with her, their foreheads touching and sobs moving from his chest to hers, burying his face in the crook of her neck where he held her mightily. 

 

“One less Bright for me to hunt down,” Makhel sneered, lifting the wand with leisure. 

Tikka stood defensively, hard breaths expelling from her as blood started to drip from her nose. 

But a force similar to a hard slap across her hand caused her to flinch back, her wand tearing from her grip. It took a few frantic seconds to find it, but when she did, her heart stopped. 

The wand didn’t agree with it’s new handler, ringing in distress and distorting the space around it, but Rania kept hold of it despite her skin starting to singe from it’s discontent. 

Makhel didn’t move, he couldn’t. Disbelief would’ve been putting it lightly as he stared at her, swaying and aching, crumbling before him. 

A swift swing of her arm shot a blunt front of screaming, cutting air in his direction, but he blocked it, his face lining with confusion. 

Another step, and she again fired, crunching across the ground and puckering the road beneath him, but he simply countered it, reflecting the same attack back at her. She’d already moved, stumbling to the side and barely catching herself. 

Makhel hesitated, lips pulling back over his teeth and tusks in restraint. 

She was coughing; thick, wet ones, heaving blood onto the ground, fighting to breathe past it all. Her lungs only allowed short breaths, but she stood again, pained grunts coming forth. Her blurred vision was clouding, but she could make out enough to raise the wand at him. 

“ _Relinquo_ ,” Makhel called softly, and a great burning surrounded Rania. She cried out, her frame tensing as the broiling subsided and she was left with tingling across her body, fading into a dull vibration until… nothing. She looked at her unrecognizable palms, down at her trembling form. 

Rania’s eyes met Makhel’s, and when he looked on the verge of crying, it hit her. 

She raised the wand, but it was dormant. No matter how many incantations she muttered, how she willed it to awaken, it was silent. 

Silent sobs shook her shoulders, blood stained tears running down her cheeks as she gazed at him in defeat. A ragged breath in only caused more coughing, and Makhel turned away, holding his head. 

“How did it come to this?” she choked out, jaw hung, blood dripping. 

He turned back, looking at her almost unbearable. 

“You promised me you’d protect me,” she wept, struggling to remain upright. 

Breaths flared through his nostrils, taking a few steps towards her before raising his wand. 

“Makhel!” Tikka shrieked desperately, but he ignored her. 

His eyes were only on Rania, his love eternal decaying before him. She was void of life, and enchantment, but he still thought she was the most astounding thing he’d ever laid eyes on. 

His grip around the wand tightened. 

“I loved you,” he wavered, and suppressed tears when she smiled at him, her own eyes welling. 

“You did.” She whispered. 

He exhaled slowly. _I’m sorry_. 

He threw his arm viciously, the invisible spell pulsating through the air towards her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _*doesn't have much to say about this chapter except **i'm sorry** *_
> 
>  
> 
> +"Baj iav votar for ukon." : "Make it home for your son."  
> +"Relinquo," : "Leave," (it's a spell, not a demand)


	13. Paradise Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **WARNING: This chapter touches on very sensitive topics such as rape, abuse, and mutilation. If any of these are triggering for you, please read with caution.**

 Silent sobs shook her shoulders, blood stained tears running down her cheeks as she gazed  on in defeat. A ragged breath in only caused more coughing, and Makhel turned away, holding his head.

“How did it come to this?” she choked out, jaw hung, blood dripping.

  
  
  


_ The rain was coming down in waves, crackling loudly against the pavement Tikka ran across. It chased away the usual night goers but kept homebodies shades open, soaking in the cooler breezes until the clinging heat inevitably returned.  _

_  She transitioned into a swift walk once under the overhang of the old building, the steps of her boots echoing down the long chamber she trekked before coming into a separate yard that lined the length of the numerous classes going on well into the late night.  _

_  Her wet hair was pulled off her shoulders, turning her attention to Fero who’d atlast caught up to her.  _

_  “Took you long enough,” she snapped, wiping her misty cheeks.  _

_  “You were still mostly clothed when they knocked,” he leaned in to simper, pulling his shirt from his jeans.  _

_  “Next time you’ll undress me faster then,” she cracked, catching his masked smile.  _

_  “Tikka!” _

_  Their playful banter was interrupted by a frantic elf, her eyes peeled from frenzy and hands swinging at her sides as she sped towards the couple.  _

_  “He’s in the main hall- I couldn’t, I didn’t wanna try to take it from him, he’s just sitting there and there’s broken glass all over your office-” she rushed, barely breathing between her words.  _

_  “Penelo calm down,” Fero cringed, his annoyance with the young girls easily aggravated nature showing.  _

_  “You should be like me! He’s an Orc!” she hissed.  _

_  Tikka stopped, thick brows arched in doubt. “Are you sure?” _

_  “You think I could mistake an Orc?” Penelo accused.  _

_  Silence drifted by for a few beats. “He didn’t explode?” Fero questioned, and the younger girl shook her head.  _

_  “There has to be a mistake,” Fero chewed his inner lip, but Penelo remained adamant, shaking her head dismissively.  _

_ “Well let’s go see for ourselves then,” Tikka exhaled, finishing the short walk to the hall in a less rushed manner, fixing her wet clothing that was almost as bad as the drowning humidity around them.  _

_  The teachers on grounds that night had managed to keep the break-in under wraps, more importantly the threat this individual may have posed if he in fact was in possession of one of Shield of Lights wands. Judging by Tikka’s apprentice, who although was an easily rattled individual and definitely  was not a fool in any aspects of the word- this was serious. She’d been present to see the ultimate decision splattered across walls when a power crazed individual swore by heaven and earth they were a Bright, so if she said there was an Orc holding the wand, Tikka believed her.  _

_  Two of the more burly Brights of the compound were stood by the hall, chatting softly in attempts to not raise any suspicions of students walking by, but Tikka being there past hours in general was enough to raise curiosity.  _

_  “How long has he been in there?” she asked in hushed tones, carefully cracking the door open.  _

_  She could make out only his form slouched in a chair, a gentle humming swimming throughout the wide room from the light gleaming at his center. Tikka exhaled.  _

_  “He’s definitely got it,” she mumbled, and Fero groaned into his hands, turning away. “How’d you get him in there?” _

_  “We found him there. He left a trail, I think he must’ve been cut on the glass,”  _

_  Tikka debated the pros and cons of her next plan of action, the most glaring con being Fero’s reluctance to let her in there, but the choices were slim to none, and setting free a fresh Bright unfamiliar with such power could prove deadly.  _

_  She looked to her vexed lover, and her placid expression said it all.  _

_  “No,” he barked.  _

_  “You think we should just leave him there until he gets tired of sitting around and leave with it?” she mocked, stirring his annoyance further.  _

_  “I think we should grab another wand and erase his memory,” _

_  “You know the rules,” _

_  “That doesn’t apply-” _

_  “They always apply, Fero,” she snapped, her tone final. Fear lined his hardened glare, and before turning back to the double doors, she caressed his cheek gently, her eyes softening when he leaned the slightest into her touch.  _

_  Even if she’d opened the door slowly, she expected him to spin towards her, pointing the screaming wand at her. From across the hall she could still see him trembling, his face hidden behind the luminescence. She made sure the doors clicked behind her before raising her hands in compliance.  _

_  “Olá,” she tried softly. “Qual o sue nome?” _

_  Still nothing. She dropped her hands, leaning to try and catch sight of his face.  _

_  “Você consegue me entender?” _

_  “I don’t speak Portuguese!” he blurted, and Tikka’s attention was brought to the drops of water coming off of his clothing and  gliding back up to hover above him.  _

_  She let out a silent breath, better understanding who stood before her.  _

_  “That’s fine, mine isn’t very good,” she admitted, cracking a small smile. “My name is Tikka,”  _

_  He was looking around, slowly edging his way backwards with nowhere to go.  _

_  “Can you tell me your name?” she asked, stepping towards him.  _

_  “Don’t come near me!” he sobbed, and her heart met confusion.  _

_  “Hey,” she called, gently. “What’s wrong? You have the wand in your hand, friend, you’re in control. I just want to talk,”  _

_  That seemed to calm some of the unrest in the mysterious intruder, and slowly, the wand lowered, enough to illuminate the face of a very young Orc with burning eyes, his markings upon his skin like splashed paint. Although it was at his waist now and still pointed at her, she could breathe some relief that the water coming off of him wasn’t ricocheting away, a clear sign that the raw power radiating from him wasn’t as ferocious.  _

_  A deep, quaking fear was behind his glassy eyes, given away in the nervous side to side steps he took as he too looked her over.  _

_  Tikka swallowed her apprehension in the presence of a magnificently powerful individual and continued towards him, silently relieved he didn’t thrust the wand at her in defense. Even if he knew no spells, he’d surely inflict damage with the energy moving through him alone.  _

_  At last before him, it was clear that if he hadn’t been in possession of the wand, there was nothing to fear in the Orc.  _

_  He wouldn’t look her in the eye and instead glanced around nervously, his line of sight returning to the floor after every tentative glimpse. A stiff breeze could’ve knocked this poor boy over.  _

_  “What’s your name?” she asked again, wanting nothing more than to calm his rabbit heart she could almost hear.  _

_  His jaw shifted, his shoulders pulling in just the slightest.  _

_  “Makhel. Makhel Portela,” he recited softly, this time keeping her gaze.  _

_  “Makhel,” she recited, dipping her head. “Why did you come here tonight?” she went on to ask, pulling a chair around herself to sit before him. He was still wary, choosing to lean back against the table instead.  _

_  “I just wanted out of the rain. I didn’t know…” he trailed off quietly, looking down at the wand.  _

_  “It’s very brave of you to have grabbed that,”  _

_  He was staring down at it, the water drops coming off of his nose and chin evaporating before it reached the singing object in his hand. “I’m a Bright?”  _

_  “You are,” she smiled, but didn’t earn one in return. “Where’s your home?” _

_  His hand dropped, rolling the wand in his fingers, pulling his lips in to nibble. “I don’t have one,” _

_  “Your parents?” she pressed, and he scoffed.  _

_  “My mom left when I was 6 and my dad died when I was 10,” he explained silently.  _

_  “Left?” _

_  When he looked up to stare out the tall windows lining the hall, she was sure she could see the glimmer of tears brimming his brilliant golden eyes and his chin trembling. “She always told me she didn’t want another son. That I was useless, ugly,”  _

_  Tikka fought the wince, averting her eyes until he was done wiping his face. “And your father?” _

_  He scoffed again, rubbing his forehead. “When he wasn’t pimping me out he was high,” _

_  Her stomach dropped. Even if he’d had a home to return to, it seemed there wasn’t anything worthy there.  _

_  “How old are you Makhel?” she asked, scooting her chair closer.  _

_  “17,”  _

_  She was relieved; just old enough. _

_  “I can teach you to handle that. I can teach you how to take care of yourself. If you enroll here, you’ll have a home and food,” Tikka went on to offer, and was thrilled to see him so enthralled with what she had said. “I don’t think I could allow you to wander back onto those streets,”  _

_  He looked out the window, a nervous swallow following his sour expression upon gazing at the heavy rain still plaguing the night.  _

_  “You’re more than welcome to stay, but I’ll need that back,” she finally touched on, extending her upturned palm.  _

_  Her body was tensed and ready to bolt even before his hesitation showed, but she remained motionless and with the placid grin on her face while waiting for him to finish staring down at it. At last he placed it in her hand, but she didn’t draw it towards herself until he’d moved away at his own pace, leaning back against the table.  _

_  With another comforting smile, she curled her fingers around the enchanted wood only to point it upwards, her whispered words casting across the hall, turning the low lights on all around them.  _

_  He looked around nervously, pushing his drenched hood back. Now she could see the young one before her, the deep coloration of his olive toned markings that grew darker around his eyes.  _

_  He must be tired, she thought. “Have you eaten?” _

_  “Not in a couple days,” he responded, scenting the air around him purposely.  _

_  “Let’s go then,” she exhaled, standing. He retracted his head a little bit, further unmoving. “Did you want to sleep in here tonight?”  _

_  His lips pursed, shaking his head.  _

_  “Come then. And that needs to be looked at.” Tikka smiled, pointing to the blood she now saw dripping down his worn pant leg.  _

_  Makhel was hesitant to follow, but eventually he did, slowly that was, his hands toying nervously at the hem of his torn shirt before clasping at his stomach once she’d opened the doors to the others standing outside.  _  
  
  


He turned back, looking at her almost unbearable. There was a silent pleading shown in every aspect about himself, one Rania recognized the night he’d come to her, splattered in blood, quietly begging her to leave with him. 

 So what was he asking of her now, when he’d already sealed her fate?  
  
  


_  Had it not been for the less than welcoming nature of the other Bright’s that thought an Orc to be a flaw on their ‘flawless race’, Makhel might’ve thought the Shield of Light base to be nothing less than perfect.  _

_  Three square meals a day and his own room, with his own bed and new clothes was more than anything he’d ever had all at once, not to mention the small sketchbook he’d been able to snatch from one of his elective classes. He’d dealt with scraps of newspapers and old receipts the better part of his life once he’d discovered the escape from reality drawing offered, but now he filled the blank pages until there was nothing left of them, savoring every drag of his pencil across a page, feeling excitement bubble in his chest with every blank one reached.  _

_  Hidden beneath the shade of a peach tree at the center courts, this was his favorite place to unwind after a long day of classes and sparring. Schooling had never been a consistent part of his life, and he found himself struggling to keep up, moreso in math than anything else, but he could hold some of his weight in sparring. Growing up on the streets taught him some skills, it seemed. Though his lip stung from a fresh cut after an elbow had made its way into that mornings lesson, it was easy to push it aside. He had far too much to be thankful for in these past few months than to dwell on a small wound like that.  _

_  And if it meant he was learning to hold his own against the far more experienced Brights, he’d take the lesson if it meant gaining a lifetime of security.  _

_  Though the others visibly lashed harsher blows towards him during their self defense classes, he’d been reassured by Tikka that soon he’d be at their level.  _

__ You have an Orcs brute strength, don’t be afraid to use that,  _ she’d assured.  _

_  Makhel frowned.  _

_  He didn’t want to lash out as they did. He didn’t even want to be friends with any of the bright eyed elves surrounding him. He just wanted to coexist in peace.  _

_  With a long sigh, he situated better against the base of the tree, his eyes following a few others that sneered at him as he passed.  _

_  A low chuff and flash of his tusks only rolled their eyes, thankful they moved on without harassing him.  _

_  His gaze fell back to the nearly filled page sprawling with faces and arms, something he always returned to when his mind went a little blank. Maybe one day he’d finally force himself to master drawing eyes, but for now, he found comfort in slyly observing the group of girls across the yard, or more notably how their hands gripped books or their fingers drew designs in the air as they gossiped. _

_  Across the yard, emerging from a long corridor came Tikka and another teacher with a new student in tow, but where Makhel usually didn’t find that of any interest, the silky black waves of this student was… different.  _

_  He was used to seeing the platinum blondes of Elves, and even when the occasional unlike one with hair that matched the general population came in, their hair was always pin straight and slicked back.  _

_  So when he spotted the newcomer’s parents trailing behind, he closed his sketchbook upon seeing an Orc mother glancing at the surrounding skeptically, and even odder was the towering Elf beside her, his long black hair pulled into a loose braid.  _

_  Just the sight of him was fierce, vastly divergent from the usual prim and proper appearance of most Elves. Lined with thick muscle and bronze skin that contrasted sharply against bright green eyes, it was clear this man wasn’t entirely Elf, and neither was his daughter once she came into view.  _

_  And that’s what made Makhel’s heart thunder.  _

_  He’d heard rumors of halflings and hybrids, but they were never positive.  _

__ They bring curses and plagues,  _ or  _ mother’s never make it through the birth- they suck the life from them. 

_  Yet here he was, questioning how something so pretty could be at the forefront of such awful tales. _

_  She was painted in the same hues of green as her mother, but her father’s sable tone was most prominent as well as the silky tresses, and stunning hazel eyes that met his when she caught him staring in complete awe.  _

_  Her short tusks amongst her soft smile sent his mind reeling, and he quickly averted his eyes when she leaned in towards her mother to slyly point in his direction.  _

_  He didn’t see it, but there was clear relief that washed over her parents once they spotted another Orc, even if he was a little slack jawed staring at their daughter.  _

_  As they rounded the pathway surrounding the courtyard, Makhel only dared another glance when they were close, meeting the hybrids eyes once again.  _

_  This time she flashed a much more dazzling smile, her gaze keeping his, even turning him in his seat so he could follow those pretty eyes as he dared his own nervous grin.  _

_  Far too quickly for his liking, she’d disappeared into the next corridor, leaving him astounded and hiding a loose grin from the others still walking about.  _

_  It could’ve been the girls almond eyes that pushed him to, or maybe he just didn’t want to forget the way she looked at him, but he filled the rest of his page with shadowed eyes, some squinted in a smile… awfully, that was.  _

_  He really needed more practice.  _

 

_ ↠ _

 

_  A long day of classes was finally coming to an end with the sun dipping below the sea, and Makhel was wandering back to his room with a swiped pão de queijo hooked in his tusks, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he groaned.  _

__ I still have to finish that paper.  _ Ugh. He should’ve swiped more buns; he’d need the energy.  _

_  “Makhel!” _

_  He jumped, swiftly tearing the bun from his tusks to hide behind his back once he recognized Tikka’s voice but was unaware of the shred of bread still hooked against his lip until she pointed to her own lip, prompting him to quickly wipe his face in humiliation.  _

_  “I already saw the bun,” she cracked, but Makhel’s guilty smile melted into a flush when he spotted the hybrid behind her, observing the painted walls beside them.  _

_  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but she waved it off.  _

_  “How’re you doing? How’s classes?” she asked with genuine interest, and he weighed his hands in response, glancing at the girl. “Nym says you picked up defensive spells quicker than anyone else,” _

_  “I think that’s only because I don’t get distracted talking to others like everyone else,” he worked out, but Tikka knew that to be false. She’d sat in on many of his classes to witness the pure gift he had at wielding a wand, continuously amazed at how effortlessly he conjured spells and worked magic, even when his head was in the clouds, most likely thinking of his next meal.  _

_  “Well keep it up. But I actually stopped you,” she stepped aside, bringing the girl forward who pulled her eyes from the mural beside them. “Because I figured you two should know one another seeing as I’m appointing you as her guide until she’s settled. Makhel, this is Rania. Rania, aqui é Makhel,”  _

_  Immediately he locked up, nearly dropping the books in hand when Rania extended hers with a soft giggle.  _

_  “Se você tiver mais perguntas, pode perguntar agora,” Tikka spoke to her before patting his arm.  _

_  “She’s still learning English so go slow,”  _

_  “Uh-“ he stuttered, eyes as wide as moons.  _

_  “Goodnight Makhel.” She smiled, and was off, her heels clicking down the corridor.  _

_  His nervousness spiked, and he glanced at Tikka’s departure before turning back to Rania, smiling nervously.  _

_  “Uhh, Rania, right?” he asked, and she nodded. “Did she show you your room already?” _

_  Her thin brows furrowed, full lips pursing. “Como?” _

__ Oh fuck.  _ “Um, English? Do you know any English?”  _

_  “Ah! Ehh, um- l-little?” she winced, bringing her thumb and index together.  _

_  “A little bit?” he grinned, and she nodded again, repeating, “Little bit,” slowly. _

_  “Okay, um,” he tried to dig into the deepest recesses of his mind to bring forth what little Portuguese he knew from his parents when they’d screamed at him and what was taught in Languages, but to be honest, he’d never been one to listen. “Um… you have- seu quarto?” he pieced together, cringing at his own words.  _

_  “Ah sim! Ela me mostrou o quarto dezesseis, eu acredito?” she explained, closing an eye in thought. He thought it was painfully cute the way her flat nose scrunched up like that.  _

_  “Dezesseis… sixteen? Room sixteen? I’m 14- um, quarto catorze,”  _

_  “Ah, is close,” she smiled, and he did in return.  _

_  There was a moment he was stuck there, drinking in every detail of her round face and cloud like patterning, the way her vibrant eyes caught every sparkle of dim light around them. He’d never seen such short tusks on anyone before, but god it was fucking precious on her.  _

_  And against his better judgement and any decency, he scented her silently, fighting the flutter of his eyes when warm cinnamon flooded him. Elves always smelled sickly sweet, but she was just… he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he also didn’t want to stop inhaling her.  _

_  He’d scented girls at passing before, simply detailing where they might’ve been or if they at all had any interest towards a skinny homeless Orc, but upon scenting her, he found his body reacting in ways- _

_  “Makhel?” _

_  He blinked back into reality. “Hm?” he mumbled, crossing his arms before his waist in hopes his books covered an uninvited guest.  _

_  She pointed to the bun in his hand. “D… din-neer?” she tried, her nose crinkling again.  _

_  “Din-neer… dinner? Did you get dinner? Food?” he held it up, and she shook her head. “The cafeteria should still be open if you wanna go?”  _

_  “Dinner,” she repeated slowly, then perked up. “Jantar?” _

_  “Yes, jantar!” he piped, unable to stop the wide smile when she beamed at him.  _

_  It was with many bumps that they made it to the cafeteria and engaged in small conversations as they ate over the leftover buns and drinks, struggling past the language barrier but coming out on top with smiles and laughter. Upon showing her locator card, it revealed they shared quite a number of classes together. Perhaps he was reading her wrong, but he could’ve sworn he smelled the anxiousness roll off of her once he got the point across that he could help her through her first week at her new home, promising he’d stay by her at lunch, too.  _

_  When he showed her his spot beneath the peach tree, she retold how she spotted him staring, effectively setting a deep flush across his cheeks, but a kind hand on his shoulder and words he couldn’t understand settled his rapid heart. It was the warmth in her eyes, the way she smiled at him with such honesty.  _

_  He wanted to bask in her brilliance even more by the time he’d walked her to her room, very nervous and clumsy goodnights following. By the time her door closed, he was still smiling to himself as he made his way to his own dorm, considering that maybe picking up an extra hour of his language courses would better fill his day instead of napping in the shade of a rooftop.  _  
  
  


 “You promised you’d protect me,”she wept, struggling to remain upright. If he’d not been far, she could’ve fallen into his arms, ready to take her last breath pressed against his body; the only place she’d wanted to be. 

 His face twisted; she was right. He’d swore countless times he’d keep her safe even if it cost him his own life. 

 And there she was, decaying before him by the power of his own hand.  
  
  


_  He’d landed his own swing into her ribs, but it was his mistake dealing it lightly.  _

_  He knew how capable and damn sturdy she was- there was no need to go easy on her, and now he was paying for it.  _

_  Her kicks were known for being lightning fast and strong as a bulls, and one blowing into his jaw left him seeing stars as he flopped onto his back, the wind effectively punched from him.  _

_  He coughed, wheezed even, taking a moment to relearn how to bring his hand to his ringing jaw after his brain was spun. “Ow,” he grunted.  _

_  Rania’s fan of hair shaded him when she leaned to look down at him, her smile only half apologetic.  _

_  “All right?” she asked, her tongue rolling.  _

_  “There’s three of you,” he grumbled, grabbing her hand when offered. Her laugh was harmonic as she hoisted his lean body up, even touching his jaw gently where a bump was starting to swell.  _

_  “You wore those damn boots again,” he half smiled.  _

_  “Learn better blocking so my boots aren’t an ee-shoo,” she grinned.  _

_  “Issue,” he repeated, earning a smack on his arm.  _

_  “But you’re okay?” she asked softer, head tilting, her pretty lips quirked as he nodded slowly and moving a strand of hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. His inner lip was bleeding; he could taste it, but he couldn’t pull away, not when her lithe hand started to play with his shirt.  _

_  “Enough flirting,” Fero boomed unapologetically loud over the entire class nestled in one of the back yards, setting an angry blush across Makhel’s cheeks. “Anymore and I’ll transfer one of you,” _

_  “You’ve been saying that for months, Dragavei- just do it so we don’t have 2 of them in class,” an Elf remarked, meeting Rania’s narrowed eyes, but the stocky Bright only had glimmering smiles and a cringeworthy wink for her. His neatly slicked hair was ruined when Fero landed a hard smack against the back of his skull, directing him towards the running track.  _

_  “10 laps for not minding your own business,” Fero barked, pushing the other two boys sharing silent teases that were not so sly as to brush past their teacher.  _

_  Makhel had shielded Rania with his shoulder, baring his teeth hatefully as the Elves jogged by.  _

_  “Don’t you two start,” Fero rolled his eyes.  _

_  “We did nothing!” Rania fought back, pushing down Makhel’s hand when he tried to hold her waist.  _

_  “You wanna run laps with your friends?’ Fero turned impatiently.  _

_  “No, we don’t,” Makhel answered, pulling her stubborn frame back. A quiet chuff was all she threw in his direction, barely fazing their teacher who had turned back to the rest of the class.  _

_  “C’mon,” Makhel coaxed, turning her by the shoulders so she was facing him with a deep scowl. “Show me how to kick like that so I can kick your ass.” He smiled, bouncing back and forth on his toes. She tried to suppress it, but the scoff made its way up along with her grin, watching him wiggle like a noodle before her.  _

  
  


__

_  “It’s best to just ignore them,” Makhel said around a mouthful of food, looking up at her strong frown and unamused eyes. “They like the attention,” _

_  “It’s all backwards. They do nothing about harassment,” she bit back, angrily pushing her tray away. He watched, grabbing her peach that rolled across the rooftop towards him. He looked to her again from his spot beside her, laid on his side and propped up on his elbow, far more relaxed then the way she hugged her own legs and rested her chin on her knee, pouting at the setting sun.  _

_  “Trying to go blind?” he cracked, nudging her arm.  _

_  With a long sigh she rested her cheek against her knee, her eyes dropping to him.  _

_  He recognized that look. In the months they’d spent their classes and free time together, he knew it was an indication of something that weighed heavily on her heart; a hardship she couldn’t fight off.  _

_  Makhel sat up in the same fashion in which she did, leaning over to bump her shoulder. “Flowers are supposed to bloom when the sun goes down,” he spoke softly, pulling the smallest of smiles from her.  _

_  “Fale comigo,” he sought, waiting patiently as she obviously flipped it around in her head a few times.  _

_  “I’m sick of it,” she started. “They’ve only gotten worse and nothing is done,”  _

_  “They’re cowards, all they have is words,” he reassured, but she looked unsatisfied.  _

_  “What if one day they are not?” she asked, and Makhel felt his heart clench at the sight of deep worry swimming in her eyes. He knew exactly about the deep seated fear she was expressing.  _

_  “You know I’m always here, Rania. I won’t let anything happen to you,” _

_  “You can’t be everywhere at once,” she sighed, but he shook his head, inching closer.  _

_  “I promise,” he grabbed her hand, their knees dropping as he held them tightly. “I’ll protect you. They can’t hurt you if I’m here, and yes I can be everywhere,” he insisted before she protested, both of them chuckling.  _

_  “You can’t even beat me at spurring,” she simpered, but he tugged on a lock of hair.  _

_  “Sparring. Teach me and I’ll be indestructible,” he battled, cocking a hairless brow, puffing his chest.  _

_  “You already are. You do spells better than the teachers,” she recognized, but he waved her off. “I’m serious- you have a gift,” _

_  “It’s just ‘cause my Latin is better than yours,” he beamed, and a hard shove against his shoulder sent him over, barely blocking the other loose hits to his side as he laughed.  _

_  “When we’ve graduated and you’re the one to earn a spot in Shield of Light, take us somewhere we’re not spat at. Far away from all these Elves,” she groaned, leaning against him when he’d sat upright.  _

_  “I like it here, actually. How can you leave that view?” he pointed beyond, marveling at the shimmering sea before them they had the ideal view of.  _

_  “I want to see the big canyon,”  _

_  “Grand Canyon,” he chuckled.  _

_  “I want another big, cold Root Beer,” she sighed, and Makhel eyed her curiously. “My father brought one home once years ago. Amor ao primeiro gosto,”  _

_  “We can find that here. I can make it happen,” Makhel promised, but now she eyed him curiously.  _

_  “Making such bold promises? You’ll be around for so long?”  _

_  It took him a moment to realize she’d asked him something. The way the sun caught those hazel eyes lit them up; soft, mossy green and warm milk chocolate leaving him speechless where he sat, truly experiencing a moment. _

_  Her smile dissolved the longer he stared, her pulse reaching her ears.  _

_  She knew he was feeling the heat gather in his chest just as she was, and they both could taste the reaction firing across one another's skin as the distance closed.  _

_  Rania had often speculated over Makhel’s level of experience with girls. He was awkward most of the time, hesitant to make any moves when she’d shoot him clear signals, and those moves took weeks upon weeks to carry out. Even grabbing his hand playfully as they’d walk the quiet towns streets made him clumsy.  _

_  So when their lips met, finally, after months of resisting the urge to sit in his lap and take charge, it was clear he had no idea what he was doing. Their tusks bumped uncomfortably, but he couldn’t gauge where to turn or push.  _

_  A soft giggle jittered him to lean away, but she held his face to better position them, finally able to get a decent kiss in.  _

_  He was eager, obviously willing to learn when he let her take the lead, following her steps. Soon she had her tongue softly tempting his, her arms around his neck, his hands pulling her by the thighs closer and chuffing lovingly between soft pecks.  _

_  Goosebumps followed his hands ghosting up her arms, landing on her cheeks when he parted to look at her, her pretty eyes heavy and wanton, not to mention the stirring of her body he could taste.  _

 

__

 

_  His breath caught when she pulled the loose shirt up, revealing that lean body, her midnight locks falling around her chest. His hands shook, but he still pulled her in when she sat over his lap, their bare chests touching. In the dark of his room, not even the dim glow of a street light coming in from the high window present, he used his touch to picture what he’d shamefully imagined was under her baggy clothes.  _

_  No wonder she was so good at fighting- she was like steel beneath his hands, but her skin was silk. He felt like dirt beneath her wandering fingers as she found the scars riddling him, the pits where knives had been forced through his tough skin or puckered spots from his mother’s cigarette burns. Yet she caressed him with featherlight brushes, her splayed fingers gliding over his shoulder blades and following up to hold his face, peppering his lips with sweet smooches.  _

_  Her whimper when he gripped her tightly stirred a groan from him, his breath flaring and urge to bury himself in her skyrocketing.  _

_  The soft scrape of her tusks along the neck shook him from the dreamlike state he was floating in.  _

_  Vivid recollections of rough mouths pinning him  and harder hands holding his body down against a dirty mattress flooded his vision.  _

_  “Stop!” he cried, gripping her arms.  _

_  She retracted, blinking, trying to understand what she’d done wrong as she watched him struggle to catch his breath; she could feel him shaking.  _

_  “I’m sorry-” _

_  “Not, not there,” he wavered, his palms falling to her hips. “I’m sorry ju-... just not-” he struggled, but the softest of touch across his shoulder brought his sorrowful face up, Rania’s lips fluttering across his cheeks as she held him, apologizing softly between the kisses.  _

_  She knew not the deepest miseries that occupied his heart, and never asked despite his withdrawls from the world around them some days, or the bite marks covering his neck and arms. But if there were parts of him he wasn’t comfortable sharing, she wouldn’t push him. She’d just love every other part of him even more.  _

  
  
  


_  “You’ve never done this before, have you?” she whispered, leaning on her hand while the other disappeared between them.  _

_  His mind flurried.  _

_  He’d never done this  _ **_willingly_ ** _. _

_  He shook his head, staring intensely down at- _

_  He took a great inhale when she engulfed him, a satisfied moan escaping her lips as she watched his eyes roll back and head drop, surprised at just how well fitting he was inside her once she bottomed out.  _

_  The hand that had guided him slid up his chest just as he’d looked back up at her, moaning when she rocked slowly. Her hair was a fan of darkness around them, but her eyes pierced through it, her full lips parted in soft breaths as she took the lead. He gripped her hips, even assisting her as the seconds passed; clearly he was enjoying this.  _

_  She hoped he would. By the time she sat straight to better roll over him, he was helping her in soft tugs and pushes, his mouth hung open in gasping moans.  _

  
  
  


_  The shame and embarrassment coupled with that absolutely astounding climax was sending his heart soaring the plummeting again and again.  _

_  Makhel sighed, his fingers tangled in her hair and chin bumping her forehead when she looked up.  _

_  “Don’t be upset,” she reassured softly, kissing his collarbone.  _

_  He shook his head.  _

_  “We’ll keep trying,” she whispered, sitting up on her elbow. He eyed her then, his lip curling up the longer she grinned.  _

_  “You’re so confident,” he mumbled, and closed his eyes when she kissed him.  _

_  “In you I am,” _

_  He worried his lip, a frown forming. “I came-” _

_  “Everyone’s-” she put her finger against his lips, “First time is bumpy,” _

_  Her fingers drummed playfully against his chin, gently slapped away and brought tighter against his chest so he could press a tusky kiss to her forehead. Their free hands drifted to one another, fingers toying and the pads of her index finger drawing designs over his palm.  _

_  There had been times they lay in his bed like this, simply talking, without any emotions shared despite both knowing how their bodies were reacting, but he could never bear to break the serenity. Makhel thought it would always just be, ‘you’re my best friend’. Never did he think it would move past pushing her hair from her cheeks when they’d stay up late together in the library, minds scrambled from endless reading and stress of finishing an assignment they could’ve finished hours before if they hadn’t been listening to music.  _

_  His throat ran dry, his fingers in her hair fidgeting.  _

_  “Eu amável,” his voice cracked, quickly clearing his throat.  _

_  When she sat up on an elbow, her brows furrowed but a crooked smirk spread across her face. “Que?” _

_  He held his breath, face rapt in concentration. “I said that wrong,” _

_  She nodded, giggling when he rolled away to hide his face in the pillow, growling and grumbling loudly as she shifted to lay over him, kissing his shoulder.  _

_  “Eu também te amo,” she whispered softly beside his ear, lips pursing into a grin when he at last looked back at her. She nibbled his shoulder gently the longer he gazed at her, eventually wiggling onto his back again.  _

_  “Sim?” Makhel intoned.  _

_  She nodded, her hair falling from behind her pointed ear. “You know that,” _

_  “Did you?” he asked, hands sliding up her arms when she slid over his body.  _

_  “I did,” a sweet kiss, and he was already falling under. “Took you long enough,” _

_  “Oh shut up.” He mumbled, comfortably pulling her back into his chest, her face pressed under his chin.  _  
  
  


 Breaths flared from him, and the longer he stared at the ivory taking over the brilliant carob of her skin, the more the weight he’d before shrugged off started to pile on again. 

 He’d been restless, hysterical, at one moment calm and the next screaming when he thought back to the way her face twisted in confusion when he’d first fired at her, infecting her with the slow moving spell. 

_ Stop looking at her.  _

__ He rose the wand as he stepped angrily towards her. 

 “Makhel!” He’d heard Tikka shriek, but his eyes were only on Rania, his love eternal decaying before him. She was void of life, and enchantment, but he still thought she was the most astounding thing he’d ever laid eyes on.  
  
  


_ In the minutes that had passed, Makhel hadn’t met Tikka’s eyes once. He was cool and calm, and she could go as far as to say he even looked a little pleased with himself. Every so often the smallest hint of a grin would peak out from behind his curved tusks, and Tikka would feel that small reminder come back up. Something she’d pushed down, and blamed on his poor, violent upbringing.  _

_  But even if, was that any excuse? _

_  She fidgeted in her seat. “Tell me from your side,” _

_  He looked completely satisfied with himself when he too adjusted in his seat, clasping his hands in his lap. “They’ve always harassed Rania, and none of you have ever done anything about it,” _

_  “Who?” _

_  Now he looked annoyed, his head cocking derisively. “The three- Alinar, Hagen… Shyrrik,” he spat the last name, the one who’d received the majority of the attack. “They wouldn’t keep their hands off of her,” _

_  Tikka’s brows knit together. “How so?” _

_  “What’s it matter, they shouldn’t have been touching her at all,” his voice rose. “She told them to stop and he couldn’t keep to himself so I did what should have been done months ago!” _

_  “Casting a spell-” _

_  “What were you going to do? She’s been here 4 times and nothing has been done!” _

_  “We’ve talked to-” _

_  “And nothing has changed!” he stood, his chair tipping back. “You let it slip by and it’s only gotten worse!” _

_  “Makhel enough!” Tikka boomed, standing quickly.  _

_  He was a fuming mess, the static energy pulsing off of him and sending sharp prickles across her skin. Tikka was again reminded of the power before her, and the potential coursing through him, more reactant than a match in gasoline. His confidence in his own abilities grew as the days passed, and today was just a glimpse into the magic that was growing; what he was learning to harness and direct.  _

_  “You almost killed him,” she reiterated slowly, but he only had a roll of his eyes to offer in return. “Makhel,” _

_  “I hear you, but I don’t care. They should be gone but you let them off with a slap on the wrist. Now they know I’m not afraid to-” _

_  “ _ **_Enough_ ** _ ,” _

_  His nose crinkled, his eyes shadowed under his heavy brows, but Tikka was almost thankful she couldn’t see the raw ire stirring in them. It made her feel like a target; if she made the wrong move or said the wrong thing, it left her fearful she wouldn’t even be able to fight off her own student if he snapped.  _

_  She pushed that thought down.  _

_  He won’t snap.  _

_  But if she’s not stopped him from speaking, could she stop herself from believing he’d kill if that’s what he promised?  _

_  “All 4 of you are suspended from wands handling for two weeks,” she stated definitely, but still tensed when he showed great distaste in her decision.  _

_  “That’s all they get? They bruised her!” he hollered. Surely people would start to gather outside now to listen. “What about the other classes she’s forced to share with them!?” _

_  “If anything else happens-” _

_  “You’ll do nothing!” he declared, slamming his fists down against the old desk she sat behind, fighting the hard flinch that shot into her shoulders.  _

_  The heat hitting her front couldn’t have been from his body alone, but more so from the agitated energy thickening the air around them, stifling her steady breaths that now felt constricted. It made her all the more eager to get out of that room and away from him, at least long enough to clear her head and shake off the panic she felt rising.  _

_  “Two weeks, Makhel. It’s non-negotiable,” Tikka finalized, side-stepping when he immediately moved towards the door.  _

_  “If they touch her again,” he puffed, raising his finger. “I  _ **_swear.”_ **

**** _ The door slammed sharply behind him, leaving Tikka to lean against the tables surface, her head hung and releasing the shaking breath that had caught in her chest. But her mind circled his words; was that a promise, or a threat? _

_  “You’re gonna let him off like that?”  _

_  She sighed. “Not now, Fero,” _

_  “We could hear him down the halls,” her lover battled, stepping in his with arms crossed.  _

_  “Imagine how it was up front,” she exhaled, standing straight to meet him. He looked nearly as shaken as her, but Fero had been skeptical of the Orc since day one, and bringing him in that afternoon had been the fuel to Fero’s fire. He’d warned her of the danger he posed, but she denied it everytime.  _

_  Surely such a mistreated boy only needed to be listened to, given structure.  _

_  But as the months passed, there was something visibly shifting in him. It was like his shadow was taking on its own personality, whispering to him, giving him the courage to fight back, voice his opinions.  _

_  Sometimes lash out, and use force when his threats alone didn’t ward off the pestering classmates.  _

_  And those moments ago? She saw a glimpse into the darkness Fero had insisted he’d seen lurking. The silent monster waiting for it’s time to pounce; the long dormant hatred threatening to erupt. But she didn’t say that aloud. Tikka wanted nothing more than to believe that the more work she put into integrating him into normal day to day life, the more his temperament would calm despite it becoming unpredictable as of late.  _

_  It was just a phase, she’d tell herself.  _

_  “He needs to be transferred.” Fero pointed out again, but she shook her head. She wasn’t ready to give up.  _

_  He’ll grow.  _

 

_ ↠ _

 

_  “Makhel-” she gasped, face pinched. “Makhel calm down,” _

_  He was lost in himself, grunting into her skin and rutting against Rania with such ferocity that she’d stopped enjoying it some time ago, but he didn’t hear her pleas. He was consumed in one of the few things that dampened the rage growing in his heart, but he didn’t realize the force he used to pin her already marred form with, worse than the ones she’d been dealt from unwanted hands.  _

_  “Look at me, look at me,” she finally had his face pulled from her neck, his hand releasing her thigh from it’s ironlike grip against his rocking hips. “You’re okay,” she consoled, watching the light come back to his eyes.  _

_  He only nodded, dropping his forehead to hers but still keeping pace.  _

_  “Makhel?” she called, but just like that, he was gone again, this time his arms wrapped under her shoulders to create the ideal angle. She gasped, nails digging into his back.  _

_  “Too hard-” she pleaded, but her voice was lost under his own loud growls muffled against her neck. _

_  Deep inhales made his eyes heavy, but he also wondered… _

_  Was that why they harassed her? Did they want her for their own? _

_  He pushed her head aside, his teeth bared against her skin.  _

_  “Makhel!” _

_  Did they want to defile her? _

_  No, they couldn’t.  _

_  He wouldn’t let that happen. There’d be no other marks across her skin from anyone but him- _

_  “ _ **_Makhel!_ ** _ ” she screamed, and his eyes snapped open.  _

_  In a flash he was sat up, her legs still over his thighs until she scrambled away from him, her hand held against her shoulder where blood pooled from between her fingers.  _

_  That’s when he tasted the warm blood coating his lips and tongue, and more than that, how unbelievably sweet it was. It was near impossible to fight licking his lips.  _

_  “I-I’m sorry-” he started, reaching for her, but she pushed his hands away.  _

_  “Why didn’t you listen!?” she demanded, reaching for discarded clothing across the floor to press against the bite.  _

_  “I was-” _

_  “You weren’t! Look, Makhel!”  _

_  She shoved her arms into the light, revealing the reddened marks where his hands had twisted her skin and that would soon leave bruises. He almost couldn't believe it; he’d done that? That wasn’t from- _

_  “My parents are coming this week! How will I explain this?” she cried, tears brimming her eyes.  _

_  “We can cover it?” he tried, and she allowed him to move aside the shirt to look at the wound. “It’s not a full bite, I only pricked your skin,” _

_  “That’s beside the point, Makhel,” she sighed, moving his hands again. “What if you had? What if we ever break up and no other man would want to be with me because of this?” _

_  He retracted a little, her words stinging. “You want to break up?” _

_  “That’s not what I said,” she snapped, and he nodded, dropping his eyes to his hands. There was a drift of silence, the bleeding having stopped and now only a dull throb where his tusk had delved into the muscle. He didn’t look up when she stood to dress, and she didn’t look either when he wiped his mouth and chin of her blood with his blanket.  _

_  “I’m sorry,” _

_  She looked at him as she pulled her boots on, his hands running from his face to the back of his neck. _

_  “When I see them going after you, it just…” he took a shaking breath. “It takes me back,” _

_  Rania paused. “To where?” _

_  He looked up then with glossy eyes, but instead of speaking, he pointed to the bites and scars riddling his body, the things she’d never asked of and knew he hated being touched. She finished buttoning her pants before she sat before him, grabbing his trembling hands and following his line of sight until he at last met her searching eyes.  _

_  “Tell me. Help me understand,” she implored gently, holding his face when just the request of bringing forth such old pain caused a whirlwind across his features. “I want to help,” _

_  There was a clear reluctance in the way he didn’t agree outright, and in the manner in which he dropped his face into his palms, but Rania had sensed for quite some time that his past that was always a demon sitting on his shoulder  was creeping back into his wakeful hours. She’d catch him wandering away with his own thoughts, pulling the sleeves of his shirts down so no one saw the marks riddling him. It was safe to assume some of the nasty things others would say if they saw the bites and burns across him.  _

_  “My mom…” he started, leaning a cheek in his palm. “She didn’t want me. I have  4 brothers and sisters but I was the mistake and one day they were all just gone,” he sniffled, plucking absentmindedly at the sheets. “I was 6 so I stayed with my dad but,” _

_  Rania’s head dipped, holding his hands tighter. It was the first time she’d seen a tear run so freely, dripping off of his nose.  _

_  “He pimped me out for his drug money. That’s what-” he motioned around his body. “All of these are... His clients,” he choked.  _

_  It took a few flips in her mind to understand that; his clients, but when it finally clicked, she couldn’t stop imagining a young boy in his place, cleaning the wounds across his body without even his own father to turn to for safety.  _

_  She scooted closer, bringing his hands into her lap. “Makhel,” _

_  He looked ashamed. Even holding her hands, he felt like he was dirtying her. She shouldn’t have been with someone so used, so sullied.  _

_  “I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear about this it’s too much,” he retracted, crudely wiping his cheeks.  _

_  “Makhel Portela, do you really think hearing this is anything compared to what you survived?” she scolded, undoubtedly stricken with horror, but the refusal to leave him when he was finally opening was unrelenting. “I’m here, I want to help.” _

_  It left him deflated before he even could muster the thanks, or begin to form any. How could he show appreciation for the thing of beauty and compassion before him, ready to help shoulder the nightmares that left him gutless? After he’d near brutalized her in bed, scaring her senseless when he too should have been the shoulder for her to lean on in her own dilemma. _

_  He’d promised he would protect her; keep the harm at bay so she didn’t befall the same fate as he, but now this proved how much he’d have to lose it any of it took her from him.  _

_  He couldn’t-  _ **_wouldn't let_ ** _ that happen.  _

_   He’d keep the monsters away and her life, and body, untainted.  _  
  
  


 The wand protested in his tightening grip. “I loved you,” he wavered. 

 When she smiled, he wanted the ground to open up beneath his feet and swallow him. 

 With blood coating her teeth, the life draining, the girl he still loved with every shred of himself left within, she captivated, and broke him. 

_ I didn’t protect you.  _  
  
  


_  She overlooked the small packet of sweets she’d snatched up with the last of her money, hoping they were true to their supposed flavoring of root beer. If she couldn’t indulge in the bubbly drink, she hoped the gummies would stave off the often extreme craving, at least until she could convince Makhel to a vacation to the states.  _

_  A soft sprinkle of rain started to dust across her hair and cheeks, and soon it would wash into the downpours that had been on and off all week, but she took the shortcut between the shadowed homes that would have her back at the school in- _

_  The figures at the end of the long walkway were what she thought were normal day-goers, simply hanging around their homes as the gloomy weather prevailed, but the closer she drew, the more recognizable they became. More notably, the taller one that always had his hair slicked back into a tight ponytail, his sideburns effectively repulsing her everytime she caught sight of them.  _

_  If she’d not stepped into a puddle that echoed down the stone walls, she could’ve turned away undetected, but now they had their piercing eyes on her.  _

_  Months of snide comments and unwanted pats or caresses left her rigid, her brows arched in anger and fists clenching, but she had two bags of groceries in her arms, and in a narrow hall like this, two could easily over-power one.  _

_  So she chuffed, turning back towards the entrance after shooting a warning glare their way.  _

_  She muttered under her breath, about to step from the stone pathway when another form stepped before her.  _

_  Hagen, a Bright who lacked in wand wielding but was blessed in strength, one of the more brawny Elves she’d ever seen. He grinned at her, and it set her back a few steps, but more footsteps splashing across the puddles behind promoted Rania to spin, and Alinar and Shyrrik were approaching.  _

_   As soon as she found Shyrrik’s eyes in the dark of the buildings, she saw the appetite in them; the willingness to take what he wanted by any means necessary.  _

_  He’d always looked at her that same way, like he was ripping her clothes off with his eyes alone.  _

_  She didn’t wait for them to get any closer before dropping her food to stand her tallest, her limbs rigid with concentration despite a boiling dread rising in her chest.  _

_  “Fuck off,” she bit, and a brush across her arm swung her hand against it, but Hagen only laughed, shaking his hand in an exaggerated fashion.  _

_  “So ferocious, it’s all that time you spend with that goblin,” Shyrrik sneered, shimmying up to her.  _

_  “Get the fuck away from me,” she tried to slip between the gap they’d made, but Alinar blocked her, pushing her back with his chest. _

_  Rania growled, baring her sharp teeth and tusks, but Shyrrik and Hagen grabbing loosely at her arms stifled her efforts to remain confident.  _

_  “You reek of him,” he inclined, finally grabbing her arms, squeezing painfully as she started to fight him off. “You’re half Elf, you should stick with your better half-” _

_  A lightning headbut pushed him back, but the other two hed her, one of them looping an arm around her neck with a hand clasped over her mouth while the other groped across her body, lifting her shirt as Shyrrik came back before her with eager hands and a bloody nose.  _

_  Despite the rapid kicks and thrashing against their hold, it seemed all too easy how they lifted and carried her into one of the cutoffs down the length of the shadowed hall, her screams muffled and cries for help unheard as they ripped her clothing, and skin, forcing their way over her and into her, fighting one another for more time once she’d been beaten close to unconsciousness.  _

_  Rania lost the ability to scream when she felt the blood pooling beneath her, staring with blurry eyes at the entrance to the small hole in the wall they’d dragged her into, telling herself at any second someone would walk by and see them.  _

_  But it didn’t happen.  _

_  It felt like days before they stopped, and she felt every punch, every slap, every time they shoved their way in, laughing above her and spitting across her body and face. _

_  They left her in a puddle of blood and rainwater, broken and cut, stinging and burning.  _

_  She wanted to fall into a void where it would stop any more feelings.  _

_  But there was only the rain dripping across her, and the throbbing growing in her lower stomach, her eyes burning from not blinking.  _

 

_ ↠ _

 

_  He’d thought she was caught up with something with the school when she left that morning.  _

_  Maybe she’d stopped to eat something; she liked to sit outside when it rained, enjoy watching it come down in sheets.  _

_  She’d slipped out of his bed that morning to first flip through his sketchbook, always drawing little hearts next to the studies he’d done of her hands and smiles, and he didn’t even notice she was gone until he found the space next to him empty, and then finding her winking at him from behind the door, whispering she’d be back soon.  _

_  Why hadn’t he gone to find her? After  _ **_hours_ ** _? _

_  He hesitated before moving the curtain to her bed, holding his face. It was physically painful to choke back the sobs, recounting the details Tikka had given him once they’d found her. _

_  Makhel squatted, burying his face in his arms.  _

_  It was happening.  _

_  Walking in to see it would be one thing, but to smell them across her, knowing they emptied themselves in her, and… marked her, like he’d been.  _

_  A whimper made its way up his throat, but he wiped his misty cheeks, standing, taking a few silent breaths that did nothing to calm his trembling body.  _

_  The curtain scraped aside softly, but Rania’s back was turned to him where she lay in the bed. From where he was, he could see her hair was dirty, tangled.  _

_  “Lul?” he called softly, but no response. Walking around the end of the bed brought him closer; it brought clarity to the details of her bruised arms, her cut face, the vacancy of her eyes as she stared ahead with trails of tears left behind.  _

_  He tried to hide the twisting of his face when he smelled it, smelled  _ **_them._ **

_  They’d… left themselves in her.  _

_  Left their marks.  _

_  The crescent bites were raw and open, overlapping. Elves didn’t mark like Orcs did. They’d done this in a taunting matter, knowing full well the impact had on him, and more importantly her.  _

_  The first time he tried to say her name, his voice cracked too severely, so he sat down before her and shakily reached for her hand. Her knuckles were scraped; she’d put up a fight.  _

_  Her hand was limp in his hold, even when he squeezed gently. She wouldn’t look to him, even as tears flowed freely, bleeding into the crisp pillow beneath her head.  _

_  “Rania,” he finally was able to rasp, but fell forward onto his elbows beside her when she covered her eyes to weep.  _

_  He wanted to pull her tight against his chest, but just the slightest pressure around her brought forth a pained cry. Makhel cradled her how he could without harming her, but what words could he offer? He knew the broken sense of self that was inside of her, the skin she no longer wanted to be in- he knew it all. There was nothing he could offer except his comfort, for no words or miraculous day could ease this. It would smother her, but he would be there every step of the way. And when the time came that she wanted to come from the darkness, he’d be there.  _

_  He’d be the hand from the light that never guided him out.  _

_  Yet this close, he further realized the extent of the bashing they inflicted upon her.  _

_  He’d been told she was found unconscious by the market, only detectable from a low cry that traveled from the shadows. The guilt only grew heavier in his stomach, thinking of her lying there, crying for help. No longer did she smell like the sweet luminescence he’d lose himself in, but instead rainwater, and semen. _

_  Makhel buried his face against her shoulder, gently stilling her ragged sobs.  _

_  How could he fix her?  _

_  His body shook, the realization dawning on him.  _

_  How could he uphold his promise now after he’d broken it? He’d sworn to protect her, and instead, she’d been… _

_  He lifted his head to wipe his own face, but glancing out the clouded window brought forth a frenzy of dormant fury once he spotted  _ **_them_ ** _. Talking in the courtyard, as if they’d not just committed one of the most heinous, abhorrent crimes to none other than  _ **_his_ ** _ Rania.  _

_  Shyrrik’s shirt was untucked, a scrape across his cheek as he cackled beside his friends.  _

_  No, not just friends.  _

_  The other rapists.  _

_  He sat straighter, his line of sight unbroken from the trio of monsters.  _

_  Why were they still there? Surely if TIkka had told him who was responsible, then the higher-ups knew they couldn’t remain at the school; they must’ve known of the danger they posed to anyone else even after months of Makhel telling them.  _

_  He kept staring, the longer he did realizing that this was being handled like every other time they’d done something.  _

_  Here she was, only feet away from her attackers, only a window separating them.  _

_  They were going to do absolutely nothing about it.  _  
  
  


__ Why didn’t he take her home?

 Why didn’t he stop?

 How could he have claimed he was doing all of this for her, but simultaneously knew she was in no condition to fight against him? 

 Makhel felt the culmination of his actions suffocating him; a weight on his chest that was unmovable, and it only worsened when she smiled at him, even as she withered. 

 “You did,” she whispered. 

 He exhaled slowly. 

**He** was the monster.   
  
  


_ Breaking in here once meant he knew how to do it again.  _

_  He could almost laugh; had they no sense to improve their security after a lowly street kid had found his way in one time already? _

_  No, they were stupid, but he couldn’t trust all of them to be as absent-minded as Tikka. Soon they’d start gathering the other students to announce what had happened, asking them to keep vigilant watch for the signs amongst other peers, report any harassment. Little did they know their concern with the issue was empty, all talk and no action taken to prevent anything. _

_  They had a brutalized student in their very walls that would have to go on studying beside her attackers… until Makhel had made up his mind.  _

_  It came to him, bringing with it a sense of peace. _

_  Watching them go about their day as if they’d not just destroyed someone's life had been the problem, and Makhel was the answer.  _

_  He’d come to realize how good he was at spell casting; how natural a wand felt in his hold, how it hummed appreciatively when he spoke to it. He earned it’s respect because he gave it in return, and when this brilliant little solution had popped to the forefront of his mind as he lay beside Rania, stroking her dirty hair, somewhere deep down inside of him knew the wand would think it brilliant too.  _

_  He’d made it into the pitifully guarded room, silent as a shadow, the only noise in the wide room being the drops coming off of him from the heavy rain outside. _

_  It was already singing to him.  _

_  He could see the soft glow filtering through the heavy doors protecting it and it’s sister, shaking the air around them.  _

_  “Shh,” Makhel lulled softly, and was elated to see the wand listen, and dim before he opened the unlocked case. Soft coils of vibrant energy reached for his hand just as he reached for the wand, warm to the touch and featherlight across his rough skin.  _

_  He pulled it close to his soaked chest, the drops falling from his nose and chin evaporating before they hit the luminescent scepter. It was so warm, like basking in the sun after a cold night. There was nothing more he wanted than to surround Rania with this same warmth; to show her that he’d make everything okay again.  _

_  And he would. He would take it upon himself to break the lives of the one who broke hers.  _

_  The further his mind reached and envisioned the revenge he’d exact, the louder the wand rang, excitedly trembling in his hold.  _

_  Makhel smiled, turning towards the open window he’d slinked through.  _

 

_  No one would go looking for him, not even Tikka. She’d told him to stay by Rania, and he would, after this.  _

_  In their haste to make it through the rain, other students didn’t notice his hand in his jacket, or the determination in which he walked against the crowd, eyes scanning, ready to obliterate even if it meant doing so in front of others. He stopped to check they hadn’t slipped by, eyes jumping from head to head.  _

_  He stormed down the corridor leading to their rooms. If they weren’t there, he’d still barge into the assembly hall and do it there. Nothing could stop him now.  _

_  Upon spotting light coming from Shyrrik’s window, a satisfied breath left him, continuing on his way around the building.  _

_  His door was cracked open once he’d come to it, and Makhel leaned in, listening.  _

_  Low music drifted inside, but nothing else filtered out. It was like any other night for him; he felt his gut roil.  _

_  He inhaled deeply, stepping back, and kicking the door in viciously.  _

_  Not only did Shyrrik jump to his feet, but Hagen too, the two stumbling back from the door once Makhel stepped in, soaked to the bone and huffing.  _

_  “The fuck do you want-” Hagen started, but their porcelein skin only grew paler once Makhel flashed the wand, dripping vehemently with sparkling plasma.  _

_  Cornered, and wandless, they were left hopeless, just like they’d left Rania.  _

_  “Get the fuck out of here you pig-” _

_  “Exentera,” Makhel flicked his wrist, and Shyrrik felt the spray of warm blood across his face before he could turn to see Hagen’s body torn open and butterflied across his wall, his heart still thumping wildly in his ribs before the remnants of him slipped down into a squelching pile of blood and meat and bones.  _

_  Clustered, panicked cries tumbled from Shyrrik, tripping sideways over his chair, his bright eyes glued to Makhel as he approached his frantic form, kicking to scoot away from the wand and clawing for anything to hoist himself up.  _

_  The Orc kneeled before him, watching Shyrrik cringe away from the sharp ringing in his palm, hissing prayers below his breath.  _

_  Makhel tilted his head in fascination, his golden eyes committing every moment to memory.  _

_  He wanted to come back to this when he inevitably knew the moments of grief would crush him, but knowing within a matter of moments this creature of filth and perversion would be painted across the room brought him bliss.  _

_  Makhel smiled, his sharp teeth flashing causing a stir of loud sobs from Shyrrik.  _  
  
  


_  A long sigh billowed from Tikka, propping open the assembly door as students quietly filtered out. It was one of the more sorrowful congregations; Rania was a friend to most, but so were the boys who’d attacked her, and it left the young hearts amongst the school conflicted.  _

_  “So?” Fero came up to her with Tanila, a representative from Shield of Light with long, Lilac braids running her scalp who’d insisted upon the assembly, but was also insisting the three responsible be expelled despite Tikka trying to reason for their continued stay.  _

_  “They have no place here,” Tanila ground out, Fero nodding in agreement.  _

_  Tikka’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t so vocal about this the weeks leading up to it,” _

_  “That was before they almost killed someone,” he bit back.  _

_  “Both of you have handled this poorly,” Tanila interjected, silencing the arguing. “Why weren’t they handled before? I’ve read the report- it wasn’t just the girl who’s complained,” _

_  “It was just bothering them during class-” _

_  “That’s no excuse!” Tanila boomed, retracting when a few heads turned. She smoothed her smartly pressed jacket down her front. “This could have been prevented if you’d taken the steps. Clear your office and hand in your keys in the morning. You’re a risk to our students,”  _

_  “Isn’t that a little harsh?” Fero stepped in, speaking for a dumbfounded Tikka.  _

_  “There- there are politics playing a part in this-“  _

_  “These are the repercussions of your poor handling-” _

_  A shrill scream echoed down the cold halls, spinning the three toward the direction it came from. More screams followed, then students running, tripping over one another in a confused haze and swarming mass.  _  
  
  


_  The distant shrieks woke her.  _

_  As soon as her crusty eyes cracked open, she was reminded of it by the ache between her legs, the soreness riddling her body. She could smell the filth all over herself.  _

_  Rania whimpered, struggling to turn her head towards the window above the stiff bed.  _

_  It was dark out, and rain was pattering against the window, but the scattered screams and yelling were lost in the fog of her waking confusion.  _

_  It hurt too much to sit up on an elbow, so she remained laying, listening past the loud pulsing in her ears as a raging headache ebbed it’s way in. No one else was in the infirmary; there was no hushed words amongst the nurses or papers shuffling. If there wasn’t the obnoxious screaming- what she assumed was lively students- she could go back to sleep.  _

_  That’s all she wanted; rest.  _

_  The rickety door to the infirmary blasted open, smacking back against the wall, but Rania only bothered to look up when her curtain was thrown back, recognizing Makhel’s silhouette.  _

_  “Rania? Wake up,” he puffed, and once stepping into the dull light from outside, she was confused and horrified to see blood splashed across him, head to toe.  _

_  “What happened?” she croaked, crying out when he pushed the guard rail down and pulled her into a sitting position. Her broken arm hadn’t been set yet as she waited for her parents to come, and he gripped it unknowingly.  _

_  “Can you walk?” he rushed, as carefully as he could pulling her legs over the edge of the bed.  _

_  “What’s going on?” she urged him to answer, pushing against his chest but looking at her palms where the blood rubbed off. “Makhel tell me!” _

_  She gasped when she finally caught sight of the wand, reeling back from it. “Why do you have that!?” _

_  “I’ll explain but we’re leaving here,” he explained, resorting to wrapping the thin blanket around her body and carrying her bridal style. She groaned, her body tensing from all the jostling, but she had no energy left to stop him.  _

_  “Makhel!” _

_  He turned with Rania in his arms, the couple finding Tikka at the entrance with other teachers behind her, the students outside still scattering.  _

_  “Put her down,” she demanded, but Rania was the one to cling to him, tears stinging her eyes.  _

_  “This is all your fault,” he ground out, shaking his head, backing away.  _

_  “We can fix this-” Tikka tried. _

_  “No! You always say that and look what happened!” he hollered, the wand starting to drip again, the pool growing by his feet squirming. “I did what should have been done! What YOU should have done!” _

_  Tikka stuttered, at a complete loss for words.  _

_  All the times she’d been told that his breaking point was coming was standing before her now, charged with rage, and in his grasp a weapon that had no limits.  _

_  She’d fed the monster hiding inside of him, nurturing it’s appetite.  _

_  “Please, let me fix this,” she implored, but he shook his head, his cheek coming to rest against Rania’s head when she hid her cries under his chin.  _

_  “It’s too late,” he mumbled, loud cracking of thunder filling the air around them. “I’ll be back for you.” He snarled, the lights flickering around them before Makhel and Rania snapped out of existence, leaving a rolling thunder swimming around them and some of the windows blown.  _

_  The members left behind needed no more to start leaving, talking amongst themselves, preparing for the school to be evacuated and for Shield of Light to lock down the premises.  _

_  Tikka remained, stepping further into the destroyed room, crunching over the glass across the floor. _

_  He’d left bloody footprints behind, even down the hallways the other students were frantically gathering in, most of them already bearing witness to the walls covered in the torn skin and muscle of Shyrrik, or the dripping innards of Hagen.  _

_  She prayed Alinar was far from here- _

__ I’ll be back for you. 

_ She spun, the hair on the back of her neck standing and goosebumps firing along her scalp.  _

_  Her lightning blue eyes jumped, finding no one, but felt eyes all around her, leering from the shadows.  _

_  Fero came running in, nearly slipping before he stopped before the entrance, staring at her with wide eyes and breathless. He couldn’t decipher the frantic manner of her expression or understand why her shoulders were trembling.  _

_  “The- the room, students, they’re…” his pointing directionless, his brows furrowing. “What? What?” _

_  She straightened herself, stilling her trembling chin. “We need to leave.” _

  
  
  


 He wanted to go back to that night. He could have left her after the attack; left her out of the other slaughterings. 

 He should’ve let her heal. 

 Rania wavered, and he thrust his arm as a choked cry found its way past his jaws. 

 Tikka shrieked, but there was nothing she could do to stop the blast of warbling energy from surrounding Rania, stabbing up her withered form and pulling the life from her chest with an ear piercing scream. Her body stiffened, her skin splitting across her form as the spell expelled from around her, pulling her last breath from her lungs and shooting into vibrant bolts only to have her fold onto the ground like a piece of paper. 

 Makhel stumbled back, unable to pull his gaze away from her lifeless body strewn across the dirt. 

_ They found her in the alley- _

__ A shaking breath forced its way from his lungs, and he covered his mouth. 

_ She’s been beaten- I don’t know if she’s stable yet- _

__ The wand was silent in his hold, it’s brilliant light dimming. 

_ Stay with her, talk to her. She was raped, Makhel- she needs you.  _

__ He couldn’t find his breath, could barely stay standing. “Rania?” he choked, even though he knew she wouldn’t answer. 

 “What have you done!?” Tikka sobbed, fighting Ward’s hold around her shoulders, trying to silence her. 

 Makhel reeled, his wild eyes meeting the one he should’ve killed months ago, the one who was responsible for letting this all happen. The teacher that had seen such promise in him but had ultimately let him down. 

 The once gold of his iris was now glowing lavender, deep crimson overtaking the white of his eyes. Heavy breaths sent strings of saliva across his tusks, and then there was the slow rise of the wand in their direction, his body trembling.

 “Oh fuck-” Ward hissed, already pulling Tikka back. 

 “Just die,” Makhel whimpered. 

 Tikka knew by the manner of his crooked body and sickly colored eyes that the wand had infected him, and was drawing the life from him directly. There was no more need for spoken spells when it was harnessing what was in him. 

 So when the spiraling, flickering magic came crashing towards them, splitting the ground effortlessly, she knew there’d be no dodging it in time-

 By the time the sound of the attack puncturing flesh and crunching bones registered in her ears, Fero was already a puddle on the ground before her, his chest blown apart and his cheek and jaw hanging on by mere shreds of skin. 

 “Fe-” she gasped, finally registering what was left of him, but then there was only screams, one after the other, her own ears ringing from how loud they were. 

 Ward stumbled away, falling against one of the buildings as he watched Tikka scream above Fero, having not expected him to lunge before her like that to absorb the attack.

 Makhel was just as stunned, staggering around in attempts to keep his body upright. His dark skin was paling, a thick sweat breaking out across him.

 Ward’s eyes flickered around; Nick and Callie were nowhere in sight. 

 They then landed on Rania when he could’ve sworn he saw the slightest of movement, and there was. 

 Although she appeared lifeless, her body was sliding across the dirt slowly, her arm outstretching. Her head lulled backwards, her neck stretched unnaturally to reveal her sunken face, her colorless eyes landing on Makhel. But a suspicious shape was scooting across the ground towards her, skidding wildly until it landed in her twisted grasp. 

 He could almost hear the ragged breath that expanded her broken ribs, her hand lifting with uncertain aim so she could whisper, “ _ Ne tua _ .”

 A sparking fire lit between Makhel’s hand and the wand, so vibrant and white hot that he dropped it immediately, exclaiming where it peeled the skin of his palm. 

 Ward looked back to Rania, and was unnerved to see her twisted further back to stare at him, a weak nod signaling him. 

 It clicked in his head. 

_ Motherfucker.  _

__ He shot up, stumbling back towards TIkka before he bellowed, “ _ TULA _ !” in Makhel’s direction. 

 Makhel’s wide eyes met Ward’s, but the wand was already in his grasp, simmering angrily and burning his skin before it calmed, accepting it’s new handler. 

 The lavender crept from Makhel’s eyes, the bloodshot more apparent than ever as he stared on in horror, completely powerless. 

 Ward looked down at the blood soaked wand, the light filtering through the worn wooden handle, and he smiled, fire sparking under his feet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> -Olá / Qual o sue nome : hello / what's your name?  
> -Você consegue me entender : can you understand me?  
> -Se você tiver mais perguntas, pode perguntar agora : if you have anymore questions, you can ask him now  
> -seu quarto? : your room?  
> -Ah sim! Ela me mostrou o quarto dezesseis, eu acredito? : ah yes! she showed me it already- room sixteen, i believe?  
> -quarto catorze : room fourteen  
> -Jantar : dinner
> 
> -Dragavei (Fero's last name; Fero Dragavei)
> 
> -Fale comigo : talk to me  
> -Eu amável : i lovely you  
> -Eu também te amo : i love you too  
> -sim : yeah / yes
> 
> -Ne tua : not yours


	14. Her Shield

The disbelief in Makhel’s eyes matched Daryl’s, but all too quickly did stunning triumph stir a smile across Ward’s mouth, his hold securing tighter around the wand despite the discomfort of his burned skin rubbing the wooden handle, but now they were at a standstill, staring one another down. 

Ward was never taught any war spells, only how to call the wand. 

“Tikka,” he hissed, nudging her, his eyes still on the bewildered Orc, but she remained slumped over Fero’s remains, whimpering softly to herself. “Tikka!” he hissed again, pushing her, but she still wouldn’t budge. 

Daryl dared to pull his eyes away, tugging from under Tikka’s arms but she fought against him, unintelligible wails springing from her. “Get up and use that fucking wand!” he seethed, looking back to Makhel, but instead found him bolting across the road towards Rania. 

Ward cursed under his breath, stumbling around Tikka to pursue him.

Makhel hesitated greatly when reaching for the brittle, makeshift wand still clutched in her cold palm. Rigimortous had already set in across her icy skin, and when he yanked upwards and her body followed, her cheek fell against his foot that he flinched back from, a startled yelp hatching in his throat. 

There was nothing left of life in Rania, but her eyes seemed to follow him as he staggered back, whispering jumbled apologies. The wand- if it could even be called that- was looked over swiftly, but the further he rolled it in his touch, the more the delicate grain fragmented, quickly breaking apart into a dusty pile between his feet. 

Another panicked moment coupled by an equally frantic glance in Ward’s direction prompted Makhel to bolt, but his legs felt heavy, as if weights were strapped around his ankles. He fought past the affliction and the tightness in his chest, heading for the closest store he could escape through. 

 

Nick used his elbow to push aside the door that was blocked with fallen shelves and stools from the bar it sat behind, carefully squeezing in sideway with Callie in his arms. 

“A’right, here we go,” he intoned, sitting her in one of the stools still standing. 

“I’m okay,” she again insisted despite her hand not leaving her stomach since she’d come back into consciousness. “We need to get out of here,”

“We will,” he called from behind the counter, searching through the fallen objects and disorganized shelves for anything to halt the trickle of blood that had started back up with her heart. “I need to find Ward first,” 

She was trying her best to look through the dirty and cracked windows of the diner when she accidentally picked off a fresh scab from the slice across her cheek, inhaling sharply when it stung. Blood smeared her fingertips, stirring a vexed exhale. 

Nick came back around with wash cloths and a water pitcher still filled with ice, first unknotting the shirt he’d originally used to dampen the open wound and then ripping her jeans to better inspect. 

Callie looked away, a hand over her mouth as he doused the slice across her thigh with the chilled water. It stung, but nothing matched up to the wrath of her now non-existent labor just a short time ago. Although it was stalled, recalling the intensity of the contractions left a very vivid impression across her, and she couldn’t help but question if she’d make it when the appropriate time came to give birth. 

Looking up at Nick’s face was far better distraction from all of that than the ruined wall behind the bar that had little to keep her attention, but upon observing the way the light from outside reflected off his cheeks, it occurred to her that he’d not only been crying, but _sobbing_. He nearly startled when she reached for him suddenly, wiping the heel of her palm across his damp cheek after pulling a sleeve down over it. 

He looked flustered by the manner in which he rubbed his cheek against his shoulder to rid of the remaining tear trails, but she pulled him in to bump foreheads, reassuring him in soft whispers to not feel ashamed for crying.

To explain the dread he’d felt while watching the life bleed from her was impossible, so taking the moment to pull her in for a tight embrace and inhale the life that was returned to her brought him away from those bleak thoughts that only highlighted the worst possible outcomes if Rania hadn’t come along. 

Neither wanted to pull from that hold, but he scrunched his nose against her neck when the smell of blood wafted under his nose, prompting him to pull away and return to the task at hand after kissing her cheek, then her palm when she slid them gently down his face. Again she looked away instead of witnessing him mop up the steady trickle of blood.

“This isn’t gonna work,” he growled, trying to fashion the cloths together, but they barely did their job of soaking up anything. 

She dared a glance before her eyes landed on his own wounds across his arm. “Baby your arm,” she reached, moving his sleeve up, but he only pushed her hands away. 

“Sit still- _your cheek_ ,” he exasperated, turning her jaw and using the back of his hand to wipe away the stray droplet after spotting it. “I gotta find a first-aid kit,”

“And then we can leave?” she asked, only getting a few dabs in over the slice of his arm before he tossed the useless rags away. 

“Stay here,” he motioned to move, but she grabbed him. “I’ll be right back,” he held her face when he promised that, giving her a few hard kisses that she clung to. “Don’t try to walk,” 

It was with reluctance that she let go, watching him move haphazardly over the fallen chairs and tables, the floor littered with food and broken dishes before vanishing into the back through the double doors. 

She sat back in the stool uneasily, cautiously letting her eyes roam over the diner and linger even longer out the clouded windows, wondering where the battle had suddenly gone. Leo fluttered under her palm reassuringly, and she looked down, her lips pulling into a weak smile. More than anything she wished to cradle him and admire the twice lived miracle somersaulting in her stomach, but knowing he was where he was supposed to be was the greater reassurance. 

 

So far he’d only found boxes of preserved foods and monstrous cans lining metal shelves as he squeezed his way around the narrow back room, and upon only finding rolls of paper towels thus far, he realized he might just have to settle with what they had. His first plan of action after finding a way out of the town- _with_ or without Tikka- was getting Callie to a hospital. He’d done a decent job at keeping his concerns to himself after they’d literally passed in his arms, but he was certain that there would be no easy resting until he heard it from a doctors mouth that both of them were stable. 

He took a cautionary breath, fighting the burn in his eyes. 

After this, the only excitement Nick looked forward to was Leo’s arrival- _the planned and scheduled arrival that he had plenty of time to prepare for_. 

He was about to throw in the towel when a flash of red caught his eye, and skipped sideways to find a first-aid kit tacked to the wall and collecting dust. A quick look over it’s contents insured it would do a far better job than the rags he’d found-

The shattering then clattering of glass across the ground in the lobby alerted Nick, followed by a desperate cry from Callie before it abruptly halted. 

The fear rushed back into his body as he crashed through the double doors, skidding to a halt to find Ward stood before Callie protectively with a wand in hand and pointed across the room towards Makhel who had blood running freely down his face from the significant slice across the top of his head.

It took only a matter of seconds to put it all together, but now they were at a stand still. 

Callie looked at Nick, panic brimming her wide eyes, but Ward had his arm curled back across her ensuring there was no chance of her being hit. 

Makhel was heaving, glancing between the men, and even across the diner Nick could see his body trembling. He looked sickly, but the craze in his eyes unsettled him greatly. 

He wanted to shout at Ward to just fire already; he couldn’t understand why he was just standing there, until it all made sense. 

Ward hadn’t been taught any attacks. 

Sure he could wield it, but what else? 

Nick wanted to scoop Callie up and bolt, even if it meant leaving the psychopath that had pursued them alive, but leaving someone even as able bodied as Ward to an Orc was only allowing a one-sided fight. Makhel was young, but Orcs were born with strength, so adding what he assumed was desperation and crazed fear to the equation meant he’d fight viciously, something Nick knew was gruesome and had bared witness to. 

A long breath exhaled, and Nick’s fists clenched at his sides. He knew now what needed to be done. 

“Ward get Callie out of here,” Nick grumbled lowly, moving before both of them. 

“What?” Callie tried to move past Ward’s shoulder, but he was still holding her back. 

“Daryl go.” Nick barked, his chest puffed with his chin down, face slowly pulling onto a hard snarl. Makhel zeroed in on Nick, immediately recognizing the fight he proposed. The younger Orc followed suit, his lips pulling back over his bleeding gums to show his sharp teeth. 

“Nick-” Callie reached for him, but she was restricted by Daryl, her finger tips barely grazing his back before she was pulled away. “ _NICK NO!_ ” she cried, fighting against his hold, reaching frantically for her lover. 

It took great restraint to not turn to her, but Nick kept his eyes locked with Makhel’s, the two breathing heavily and standing their tallest. 

“NICK DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” Callie sobbed, thrashing every step of the way. Ward found it surprisingly difficult to hold her as he made his way through the back door, resorting to hoisting her up against his chest to yank her grip from the frame as she continued to scream.

Nick caught the flicker of Makhel’s eyes following Callie and Ward, so he moved to block them, chuffing loudly. 

Makhel shifted unnaturally, his step appearing untrustworthy. “You bred a human whore,” 

A resounding growl burst from Nick, his body trembling from the ferocity in which he emitted the long snarls, the adrenaline collecting in his skull. His chest heaved with deep breaths, examining the stench of sickness coming off of the dwindling Orc before him, but there was also the flare of raw challenge coming off of him much in the same manner it was radiating from Nick.

When Makhel again shifted, Nick did so the opposite direction, starting a slow circle around one another, sizing each other up as they both continued to display their strength, and ferociousness. 

“I’ss because of ones like you that we can never be above them,” Makhel went on weakly, but his smile was all mighty. “Your own child’s a mistake- taking the place a pure Orc should,”

Nick was ready to throw himself at him and slug until he was a pile of meat, but he fought the vigor in his legs knowing there would be a better chance. 

He narrowed his eyes, uttering, “Rania was a halfling,”

Makhel stiffened, an angered chuff firing at Nick. 

“Did you hate her?” 

“Shut up,” Makhel barked. 

“Did you blame her for being who she was?” 

“She was perfect and they ruined her!” he hollered, spitting bloody saliva. 

“You killed her!” Nick boomed, and just as Makhel had pushed off his toes, Nick was also barreling towards him, their bodies meeting in a loud clash as hands flung to gouge and jaws opened to rip. 

They were a blur of clashing muscle and thundering roars, one sometimes getting in a solid hit and then the other firing back with a gut-wrenching tackle, throwing them about the already broken room that crumbled beneath their dueling bodies. Makhel resorted more to clamping down with his teeth, always aiming for Nick’s throat or inner arms, but a neck snapping swing would always daze him a moment or two, yet not long enough to stop the frenzied rage that was keeping Makhel standing and holding his own. 

 

“Callie stop!” Ward was still struggling, his cheek ringing where she’d already squeezed in a few hits with her elbow. 

“Let me go!” she demanded, fighting against his strong hold all the while watching Nick and Makhel brawl, their monstrous roars and strikes just as clear outside as it was inside. She could see Nick thrown across the ground, rushing to stand and only having Makhel land on him. 

“Get OFF!” she screamed, trying to twist out of his hold. 

“If you go in there you’ll get caught in the middle- damnit, Callie!” 

 

In a moment of delirium, Makhel had gotten his hands around Nick’s neck, sitting on his chest so kicking him away wasn’t doable, and now Nick pulled at his hands desperately, his eyes welling with tears and panic flooding the longer his thumbs pressed into his throat. 

“You’re the kind of person who allows the world to go on raping and defiling! I was doing the world a favor and you got involved!” Makhel bawled, his arms shaking from the force he held Nick down, but in a final burst of capability, Nick’s hand finally gripped something sturdy while brushing the ground desperately- a beer mug that he swung the bottom of into Makhel’s temple. 

He fell to his side, holding his hand over the gash now gushing after the mug shattered against his skin while Nick struggled to his feet, coughing hoarsely and choking on the air he tried to suck back into his lungs. 

His bloodshot eyes found Makhel getting to his feet just as he was, disregarding the blood in his mouth and the bites and cuts across his body that burned. 

While he was still steadying, Nick lunged at him, resuming the thunderous shouts and tears as before when Makhel turned to fight back, his snapping jaws coming painfully close to Nick’s face before he blew his forearm into his chin to send him flying into a table, only to break under his body. Nick had already grabbed a chair when the younger Orc turned to scamper to his feet, hollering when the seat slammed into his back and broke into pieces. 

“You’re a fucking psycho,” Nick spat, using Makhel’s own defense against him when he again charged. Although his tusks were filed, Nick’s bite was still as deadly, his teeth sinking into Makhel’s forearm when he attempted to push the cop back through the windows. Sour blood pooling in his mouth prompted him to release, completely numb to Makhel’s scream or yanking against Nick’s jaws. 

Nick spit, his face twisting when the blood coated his tongue and throat, staining his teeth when they bared before a loud snarl. 

Despite shaking his wounded arm and the clear discomfort across his face, Makhel came at him again. 

 

“Get the fuck- OFF!” Callie shrieked, digging her nails into Ward’s arm even more after he’d hissed in pain the first few times. 

At this point, Daryl was losing his already barely bridled patience, and was close to letting her go so she’d fall and he could just drag her away, but even then he was sure she’d find a way to weasel from his hold. 

“He needs our help!” she argued, but it didn’t lessen his hold around her. 

“If we get between that we-” but the wind was knocked from him, pain radiating into his stomach immediately after she’d slugged him in the groin with all the momentum she had. Ward tried to hang onto her jacket as he buckled, but he was having a harder time breathing as he fell to his side, cursing at her as she bolted back to the diner as louder roars start emerging from inside. 

She crawled through the floor to ceiling high windows this time instead of bothering with the back door, solutions rushing her when she witnessed Nick in a chokehold and thrashing wildly against Makhel, both of them riddled with debris, and blood, and bruises. 

Callie’s eyes jumped until they landed on a partially destroyed stool, hoisting it over her shoulder and swinging with all her might into Makhel’s side. 

He arched, screaming, letting go of Nick but swiftly turning on her with a booming cry. 

She had only a half-second to turn and run, but he already had his hands on her, tossing her aside like garbage. 

To Nick, it happened slowly, but he knew he hadn’t turned fast enough to stop it before Callie rolled and crashed across the tables and chairs, finally stopping when her body slammed up against a booth. A constricted cry caught in her throat, her arms shaking and body lighting up with pain when she tried to sit up.

Just as she’d turned to Makhel’s reaching hands and twisting face, Nick tackled him and sent them back into the destroyed rubble around them.

His raging heart was pulsing behind his eyes and in his ears, his vision bleeding over with red as he dealt blow after blow into Makhel’s already swollen face. All the soreness and weak across Nick’s body wasn’t even detected; only unchecked fury pumping into his limbs, gathering in his chest then billowing out through heaving breaths. 

It wasn’t until Nick felt a few of his own knuckles pop that he stopped, breathing gravelly above Makhel who was sputtering for air. 

A tusk was broken off and stuck in Nick’s knuckle, but he didn’t notice, not while looking down at his concave face and blood pooling under his head, an eye sunk deep into its socket. 

“Y-you know I’m right-” Makhel spat, holding his deformed head. “I’ll do it- I’ll kill-” 

But in a final fit of rage, Nick’s powerful jaws closed around his neck, thrashing his head viciously until the flesh and muscle gave way, ripping open his throat. 

Makhel’s body convulsed, strangled cries that couldn’t reach past the blood in his throat filling the quiet room as he slowly drowned, clawing desperately at his own throat. Nick watched the life drain from his eyes and fear crawl it’s way in, consuming his last thoughts until the last of his spasms had stopped, and the crimson spurting from his throat slowed. 

Nick spat the last of the sour blood onto his face, a hard chuff following. 

It was necessary, but upon spotting the butter knife beside him, Nick hastily grabbed it and plunged the blunt blade into Makhel’s chest, watching carefully for any reaction, but there was nothing left of the rogue Bright. 

“Agh thaav'uk killaumn mausan fuckaumn hundur.” He slurred, finally finding his way back up to his feet to stagger away from the boy he’d just murdered. His breaths were heavying as well as his limbs, and the agony that had before been numbed was soaking into his muscles and bones, building a steady tremble up his battered body. 

“Nick?”

He looked to Callie, now realizing she’d witnessed him annihilating Makhel, and it showed in her peeled eyes, but she remained unmoving, still sitting before the booth her body had struck. 

He chuffed blood from his nose and mouth, stumbling when he turned to face her. “Are you okay-” but he collapsed, his body falling harshly across a turned chair and breaking under him. 

“Nick!” she exclaimed, crawling to him as he dragged his body across the floor to her, groaning when his head fell against her stomach, the rest of his exhausted form following. He lay sprawled across the tiles, his head cradled in Callie’s touch as she cried over him, wiping away the blood across his mouth and chin, simply thankful that she’d lived through all of it- that both her and Leo had. He turned his cheek against her stomach when Leo stirred, exhaling shakily. 

It was a short lived moment of tenderness between the two before Ward finally made his way back in, wand raised in mock protection before he spotted the couple twisted in one another beside a mutilated Makhel. 

“Holy…” he trailed off, carefully walking around the corpse, a hand hovering over his tender lower abdomen. “You good? You okay?” he asked the pair, both of them nodding tiredly. 

Nick’s bruising eye cracked open when Ward slumped beside them, letting the wand roll out of his palm. 

Callie leaned back against the booth, Nick still held partially against her lap and stomach, letting her eyes close a moment as the quiet around them seeped in, the exhaustion finally rooting into her bones after days of constant anxiousness. It occurred to her that unwinding beside a corpse shouldn’t have been so easy, but she also couldn’t believe how drained she felt.

Ward kept looking at the body before them, then back at Nick, wondering just what kind of fight ensued while he was wrestling to keep Callie away. 

He hit Nick’s arm, pointing, “Where’s all that pissed off when we’re working?” 

Nick scoffed, wincing when his ribs protested. 

The three melted back into their exhaustion, staring here and there, hunger even starting to awaken in their void guts. 

“I wanna go home.” Callie mumbled, the men nodding in agreement. 

 

It took a few tries to get Nick standing on his feet, and even when he didn’t tip over like a redwood the third time, Callie still had trouble keeping him upright enough to walk, but neither wanted to be anywhere near the wand that Ward was carrying again. The first-aid kit was collected before they found their way out of the store, but none of them knew how much it could help their various stages and degrees of injuries. 

They collectively halted when Tikka was spotted across the road, still slumped over Fero, but this had been the first time Nick or Callie had seen him, both completely oblivious that they could have sustained their own injuries from the fight, and apparently Fero had been dealt the worst blow. 

Ward kept them back with an upturned palm, calmly walking up to her. 

Some kind of spell had been cast to bring Fero’s torn face back together, but there was still evidence of it; the way his skin puckered and scarred, his left eye still drooping a little. It honestly set Daryl off a little bit; they’d been in the thick of the fight, Nick risking his own life to give them a head start and she’d been here putting Fero back together instead of helping. 

After everything she’d asked of them, she didn’t even see the fights end. 

He pushed that down; he really just wanted to leave. 

“Tikka,” he called, but she didn’t even move. “Tikka it’s time to go,” 

Her head shook, still hung. 

“We can’t stay here,” he pressed more urgently, yet her hands did not leave his that she’d clasped over his stomach. 

Her head shook, slowly, her shoulders trembling. “I… I can’t,” she choked. “I have to… I can’t leave him here,”

“Tikka,” he stepped closer, chilled in the shadow of the building. “He’s gone, you have to leave,”

“No!” she screamed, and the same sharp snap of flames that had appeared in Makhel’s hand when Rania had disarmed him flickered in Ward’s, his wand springing towards Tikka for her to catch. Though her eyes were swollen and glossy with unshed tears, she still glared hatefully up at him for even suggesting she leave his side. 

Daryl held his singed hand, scoffing. 

“That’s it? After all the shit you pulled and the fight we finished you expect us to just walk our asses outta here!?” Daryl shouted, but there was nothing else she offered after that initial look before turning back to Fero, scooting on her knees closer to him with both wands in her possession now. 

“Get up!” he demanded, but she was unmoving. He huffed, tempted to shake her, but instead turned heel to trudge past Nick and Callie who were also in a state of disbelief, but clearly there was nothing left to do.

“Tikka,” Nick called, and she surprisingly looked to him with tired eyes. “Stay gone this time.” He instructed, pulling Callie under his arm to turn and follow Daryl down the desolate street, unbothered to leave any final glances in her direction this time. 

If she was leaving them with nothing, they’d do the same. Nick expected a spell to meet his back or swallow them all up from the ground with their backs turned to her, but silence was the only thing that filled the space between them with every step forward.

Quickly they caught up with Daryl, the three deciding that hot-wiring a car would be their best and quickest bet out of God knew where they were, but it was slim pickings, mostly old sedans with steering wheel locks or a few others that had clearly been parked longer than they could run. A few scooters and bikes here and there, but they all perked up when Callie spotted an old Ford sitting in the shade of an alley, with thankfully, no steering lock. 

Callie kept careful watch over the still barren streets as they secured their ride, Ward tearing the steering column out and Nick pulling the various boxes of junk from the bed until the truck was roaring to life. 

Nick helped Callie hoist herself into the high seats, struggling more himself when his body protested severely. Ward found his seat behind the wheel just as Nick had lifted his arm to let Callie’s head rest back against his chest, both of them melting into the bench seat as Daryl pulled onto the dirt road. Everything across their bodies hurt, even in spots they didn’t know could ache as the distance between them and the battle that almost claimed their lives grew into a shrinking landscape once they’d left the small town. 

It was a rough, jumpy ride, but just thinking if the distance they’d already covered if they had had to walk was enough to make them collapse. 

“Where are we going?” Callie questioned softly, even if she was sure there would be no answer or clue from either of them as they made their way down the twisting roadway. 

↠

Daryl stretched loudly once stepping out of the truck, his sore body for a small moment feeling bliss with his hands above his head and body locked tight in a pleasing stretch. The truck would likely stay here after this visit to the small hospital they’d found nestled in an actual city they’d followed sparse signs into after driving aimlessly for hours, but Ward still kept the doors unlocked on the off chance they found themselves running for their lives again. 

He just couldn’t yet shake the feeling he still had to keep an eye over his shoulder.

Rounding the tail of the truck brought him to Callie and Nick who were also stretching past the discomfort in their riddled bodies, staggering around when the blood rushed to their heads. 

Callie handed back the rag she’d tied around Nick’s knuckles when he finally picked Makhel’s tusk from his fist before they wandered up to the entrance of the hospital, turning heads towards their startling conditions. 

A nurse’s watchful eyes had been on them since they’d first entered, rising from her seat behind the desk before they made it to her, but the closer the came the more she showed concern, mainly at Callie’s obvious condition. 

“Puedo ayudarte?” the nurse asked skeptically, eyeing Nick, but he was too exhausted to even care. 

Callie pondered that a second. “Fuimos asaltados,” she decided, letting a silent breath go when the nurse showed surprise instead of suspicion and started putting together paperwork. 

“She goes first- she’s twenty weeks pregnant,” Nick insisted, ushering her towards the other nurses that were clamoring around them. Ward was trying to understand the quick Spanish being fired at him as they lead him away from the desk and into a wheelchair, and he quickly took advantage of the offered ride, waving at Nick and Callie with his head leaning back and arms slackening against the arm rests. 

“You are de… de father?” the nurse asked Nick, the pager phone pressed between her cheek and shoulder. 

“Yeah,” he answered distractedly when other nurses started to lead Callie to her own wheelchair, stuffing a pillow behind her back just as a male nurse had come up behind Nick to lead him a different way. 

“Wait- wait,” he walked after her quickly, leaning over to plant a few kisses upon her lips, kissing her knuckles before he let them take her. “Be careful with her, that’s my baby.” He told them, walking backwards with a hand on his chest as he watched them wheel her away. She looked back at him with a tired grin, but Nick didn’t budge until the double doors had closed behind her, finally following the other nurses down the hall. 

↠

It had been a few hours of examining, poking, stitching and cleaning, but at least she’d been able to stay in the same gurney the entire time so she could nap in between visits, and all the while she’d had the sound of Leo’s steady heartbeat filling the room with the fetal monitor wrapped around her stomach. She’d grin every time the loud swirling of his movement came through the speakers, her hand following his little bumps and kicks. 

Ultrasounds and constant monitoring had assured her that, from what they saw, Leo was perfectly fine despite them not knowing how close she’d come to losing him forever. 

Approaching chattering outside brought her attention to her door when it opened, smiling when Nick struggled his way in as he argued with nurses, trying to speak over and convince them he had no idea what they were saying as they went on to insist he go back to his room. It wasn’t until Callie translated and explained he was the father- with more surprising looks again- that they calmed, advising him harshly not to jostle her or disrupt any rest. 

“Why do they always think I’m gonna assault you?” he questioned aloud, waiting until the door had clicked behind them to lean over and smother her with kisses. 

“You look worse than I do,” she giggled between his smooches, noting the stitches across his face and bandaging covering his form. 

“How’s my boy?” he asked lovingly, carefully avoiding the monitor as he kissed around her stomach, a wide smile growing across his face when he heard Leo move.

“Everything is clear. Back to doing jumping jacks,” she smiled sleepily.

“Really?” he asked in wonder, pausing to glance up at her as she nodded. “Part of me was convinced he wouldn’t be a hundred percent,”

“Me too,” she ran the back of her knuckles against his cheek as he pressed his face to her stomach. “El es nuestro milagro,”

“I know what that means,” he grinned, a final kiss placing just over her belly button and beside a particularly large bruise. “How’re you feeling baby?”

“Just tired, hungry. I’m sore but they can only get me aspirin,” she explained unenthusiastically. 

“They won’t let you eat?” he asked, brows arching. 

She shook her head. “Might need an x-ray,”

“That’s stupid,” he grunted, carefully crawling over her legs to plop onto the bed behind her with a loud huff, wrapping his arm under her bust and shaping to her. She groaned appreciatively, flipping the blanket back over his side to comfortably soak in the warmth radiating off him. 

“You’re freezing,” he noted, flinching when she pushed her feet back and up between his calves. 

“It’s cold in here,” she mumbled, moaning again when he stroked her arm. 

It was quiet beside the steady thrum of Leo’s heartbeat, Callie’s skin quickly warming with every second he remained pressed to her. Though he could’ve slept, Nick still had a difficult time taking his eyes off the door, expecting it to blow open at any moment. It only secured his hold around her tighter, mumbling a low apology when she grunted. 

“I can’t wait to be home,” she murmured. “We need to figure out what we’re gonna tell people if they ask,”

“Kandomere will be here soon to help,” he said into her hair. She looked back at him, a cut brow raising. “He’s the official we were trying to call before Tikka dropped us in that motel room,”

“How’s he gonna know we’re here?”

“We gave them our names. It’ll ping on his end eventually,” he explained, helping her resituate after slowly rolling onto her other side to face him, the monitor still strapped tightly around her. He gave her a lopsided grin, his bandaged hand smoothing away the dirty strands of hair from her face as she pulled his other hand up to ball under her chin, her big eyes sliding shut when his thumb stroked her chin. 

“What’s going to happen to us?” Her voice broke through his sleepy haze. 

He sighed, considering telling her _nothing, we’ll be fine_ , but he wasn’t fond of daring anymore lies. “They’ll interrogate us, for hours probably. We’ll be examined again cuz wands are radioactive, and they’ll always keep an eye on you from now on,” he explained, watching the words bring down the light of her eyes little by little. 

“Are they-” she cleared her throat when it broke. “Will they be rough?” 

Nick’s brows pulled in together. “They won’t lay a finger on you. They’re assholes but they’re not animals,”

That seemed to calm some of the unrest, but she still clung to him nervously, moving his hand to her stomach, tucking her head under his chin. “What do I tell them?”

“The truth, nothing but. You were in the dark up until that night and you were just dragged along after that,” 

“And what about you? What’ll they do to you?” Callie questioned. 

“Nothing, hopefully. We tried to call Kandomere that night. It’s not like we ran willingly,”he rationalized, but his own words he hoped would keep Callie steady did little to pacify his own concerns. Her dissatisfied hum wasn’t unexpected. Nick knew in situations like this the only real reassurance for either of them would be seeing the ordeal at its end. There was no real knowing until then. 

“So,” he cut through the tension. “How’re we gonna tell everyone we know we’re having a boy?”

She giggled, craning her head back to look at him. “Let’s just slip it into a normal conversation and see if they notice,”

“My mom’ll pick that up right away. She was hell bent on a girl,”

“Everyone was,” she mumbled, grimacing when her stomach growled loudly. 

“Okay,” he kissed her forehead before struggling up onto his hands. “I’m gonna go find food,” he groaned, crawling back over her with difficulty. 

“No, come back and spoon me,” she whined, wincing when her thigh twitched and aggravated the stitched wound. 

“I’ll be back,” he leaned over to place a few more lasting kisses on her waiting lips. Now that there was no blasts overhead or the constant looming threat, Nick found it easy to lose himself in her touch featherlight across his face, even indulging in a few swipes of his tongue against hers that kick-started a steady chuff that blew across her cheek when his mouth wandered to her jaw. 

“A nurse is gonna come in if you keep that up,” she whispered, catching his mouth again. 

“Food,” he groaned, standing straight. “Food.” He did that funny little walk to the door, the snug jeans accentuating the sudden arrival of an unexpected guest. _Now’s not the time, you dick_. He flipped the lights off before hobbling out, knowing she preferred the darkness over the fluorescent lighting and figured she could get a cat nap in before he returned with his earnings. 

Callie flashed her own mock snarl when he did before closing the door behind himself, then situating her head deeper into the crisp pillows she’d been propped up with. The bed wasn’t nearly as warm without Nick, but sleep was blanketing her, and now that Leo was calming, she found it easy to slip under, his heart beat still echoing through the room. 

 

“Hey, there you are,” Nick had poked his head into the room upon seeing Daryl’s first and last name spelled incorrectly on the door, finding his friend sprawled across a bed with three emptied and cluttered food trays around him. “Now we know who got the better treatment,”

“I’m assumin’ that means they hate Orcs here like they do in LA?” Daryl queried, turning the volume down on the TV. 

“I had to go find food for _Callie_ ,” he conveyed bitterly, grunting as he sat in the chair beside his bed. 

“That’s fucked up,” his partner agreed. “So how we gon’ get back home after this?”

Nick looked at him derisively. “You know MTF will come kickin’ down the doors soon,”

Ward sighed, staring blankly at the TV. “Yeah, I just didn’t want to think about it,”

“At least we’ll have a ride home,”

“Then we gotta sit in those fuckin’ cells,” 

Nick chewed his inner lip. There was no making light of that. “Excited to see Sherri?” 

Daryl had only a flat stare for the Orc as his answer, feeling he didn’t actually have to get into the details of how sick he felt just thinking of the fight he was going home to. “Don’t you have’ta get that to Callie?”

Nick took the cue, standing with another sore grunt with his bag of various snacks to amble back to the door. “Find you when Kandomere does.” Nick sneered, closing the door behind him. 

 

He’d long since given up trying to fall asleep after the last nurse came in to take Callie’s vitals and check the ongoing stream of Leo’s heartbeat printed across the endless paper. Even if she had been unreasonably loud and stirred Callie rather rudely, at least she’d kept the lights off so all she had to do was roll back against his chest and pass out after begging Leo to stop kicking her bladder. It left him wide awake and skipping through fuzzy channels on the old TV, sometimes rocking his raised knee to make the bed move and settle Leo down when he inevitably started to thrash enough to wake Callie up. 

The fatigue sat in his eyes, but no matter how long he kept them closed in the dark of the room or voided his mind of any tangible thoughts, he just couldn’t shut off his brain. They’d come springing back like a rubberband, louder than before. 

Everytime he looked down at Callie in a deep sleep and drooling against his shoulder, he’d see her fading in his arms. He wanted those moments wiped from his memory, but he expected nights filled with nightmares for weeks to come before he found any relief of the sort from them. 

So he’d focus on her rosy cheeks, and steal small kisses against her chin or jaw when she’d groan and stir, her head always lifting but eyes remaining shut. What he wouldn’t do to be in their own bed again, without the wires taped and needles stuck in her despite enjoying listening to Leo’s monitor. He just wanted to be in familiar walls, driving down familiar streets-

A familiar, high pitched group of sirens came through the curtained window, and Nick couldn’t help but scoff. 

_Perfect timing_. 

“Baby?” Nick patted her thigh over his hips, rubbing when she nuzzled her face against his shoulder. “We gotta go,”

She barely opened her eyes, still rolled halfway back into her skull. “We can’t go an’where,” she slurred, her eyes sliding shut again. 

Nick sighed; the extended nap she’d been in clearly wasn’t enough. “They’re here,” 

That brought her to consciousness a little more. Callie rested her chin on his shoulder, looking directly at him with one eye open. “What if I mess up?”

“You can’t if you tell the truth,” he reaffirmed. 

“But what if I do and they don’t let me go? Or I can’t see you?” she swallowed, her big eyes filling with worry. 

“That’s not gonna happen, okay? I won’t let it,” he’d risen to rest on his elbow, holding her face so she’d recognize the sincerity of his words. “MTF chose to cover everything up after the first time-all those murders, all the involvement. They just want things quiet so they can keep slinking around,” 

He kissed away her cynical gaze, untangling from her hold before standing stiffly to stretch past the discomfort still riddling his frame. 

“Do you think they’ll even release us to them?” she grunted as she sat up, rolling her head back to crack her neck. Stiff beds with thin mattresses only made everything agonize even more across her battered body, she still desiring more sleep, but she didn’t need Nick’s keen hearing to catch the commotion down the hall. Brief arguing before an even briefer silence, and Nick rounded the bed to stand by her just as the door had opened to reveal sharply dressed individuals that swept the room quickly, uncaring of the racket they made. 

Nick shook his head with a roll of his eyes when Callie glanced at him; _all bark and no bite_ , he wanted to say. 

At last Kandomere stepped in, his unimpressed frown almost making Nick snort, but he withheld from even grinning; surely he’d dealt with his own headaches trying to track them down. Clad in classic Kandomere attire, he crossed his arms, looking between them to scrutinize the various bandages and overall disheveled manner. A morbid curiosity showed in his bowed brows when his line of sight landed on Callie’s stomach, but Nick knew his general disgust in their coupling would prevent any prodding on his part over the matter. 

“Well,” Kandomere cleared his throat. “Are we coming willingly?”

“We would’ve been more than willing three days ago,” Nick recounted, rousing little of a reaction from him. 

“I hope you have a decent explanation as to why you abruptly vanished,” 

“I hope _you_ have a decent explanation as to why the officials that were supposed to be with us weren’t,” without skipping a beat Nick fired back, just as unwilling to pussyfoot around as he. 

Kandomere shifted, those metallic eyes hesitating on Callie’s before he turned to the officer that walked in behind him, nodding at his hushed words. 

“We’ll continue this back in California. Officer Ward is already waiting with transport.” He directed while turning to walk out, the tightly wound officials following. 

Nick visibly relaxed, pushing off the bed to start gathering their sparse belongings. 

“Well that was underwhelming,” Callie intoned. Nick faced her with a questioning raise of his brow. “I was expecting Men in Black, not Billie Eilish,” 

Nick snorted loudly, continuing to chuckle as he finished rounding up their possessions, which turned out to only be her blood splattered shoes and her tattered clothing that he wouldn’t make her change back into. The scrubs she’d been offered weren’t ideal for the winter weather, but they were all around less alarming. 

A nurse alongside the stoic doctor filed in soon after, reluctantly releasing Callie with stern instructions to stay out of trouble, solidifying their assumption that he hadn’t really bought that they’d been mugged. She was disconnected from the monitor and IV, but there was little to nothing she or Nick could do no matter how they wanted to stay to ensure Leo was completely out of the woods. 

By the time they made their way through the secluded hospital and to the row of undeniably gorgeous jet-black SUV’s that stood out glaringly amongst the modest city they were nestled in, Ward was already sat in one, back in his dirty, frayed clothing. The grimace that bowed his returning mustache better suited him than the relaxed nature Nick had walked in on when he was still stretched across a gurney.

“I bet this didn’t raise any questions crossing the border,” Callie said below her breath as Nick opened the door to a separate car; he felt cramming in with Daryl would only prolong the suffering on everyone's end. 

“At least we’re riding in comfort. I’m guessing it’s gonna be a long drive.” Nick mentioned after finding his seat beside her. 

Thankfully they’d chosen the SUV Kandomere wouldn’t be riding shotgun in, but even if they had, Nick was sure he would’ve excused himself to a different car rather than be stuck with the Orc and his knocked up human. He could care less; it meant not having to worry about remaining uptight instead of comfortably leaning against Callie just as she did against him. 

The line of black vehicles turned heads of people making their way through the streets as the last of the sunset filtered through the stacked homes and sparse businesses, the quaint city shrinking behind them. This could have been one of the small spots they’d find themselves in during one of their spontaneous visits, soaking in the sun and filling up on local food. Neither of them knew if they’d ever be able to return to their favorite vacation spot after the events that had unfolded, but both would agree they didn’t want to be venturing far once home, at least for a while. 

But to get back home? It was a lot more than just a lengthy ride. 

On top of the erratic and reckless manner of driving that left them thrown around in the back seats, the side to side started a particularly ruthless bout of motion sickness that Nick’s harsh beratement to the driver did little to stop, at least until Callie threatened to crawl between the seats and unload it in his lap. 

There was also just _getting_ comfortable in the stiff seats for those hours; trying to squeeze in a few naps to help the time go by since staring out the window was only so exciting with no music and little conversation in between. Their bathroom breaks were rushed, the time to select food for the remainder of the ride even shorter. 

Even Kandomere looked ready to explode by the time they finally made it into LA, driving through familiar streets and finally starting to feel like the past few days could be put behind them, but they only veered away past the route that would have landed them home. Soon, they were before a series of structures Callie had always assumed were doctors offices for separate specialties- Nick also, his jaw was hung a little once the realization hit- but as they turned into the empty parking lot and pulled below the buildings to stop in the ill-lit underground garage, it was apparent from the guards stood by the elevators and levels of security to get past that MTF headquarters had been close to home all this time. 

“Miss Flores, if you’d follow me,” Montehugh met them at their final entry through a door that only opened through keycard verification; surely Kandomere had notified him about their arrival. 

Her timid glance up at him almost drove Nick to fight for their way out of there; they’d gone through so fucking much, he just wanted to take her home, but he knew getting this over with was the best way, even if it meant separating from her for hours unknown. 

“I’ll see you soon.” He squeezed the back of her neck, refusing to look away until she nodded, even if it was weak. A few firm kisses helped lift her spirits a little more before she followed Montehugh back into a separate interview room, repeating Nick’s words in her head: just tell the truth. 

And that’s exactly what they did- all three of them. 

It started with the night Tikka ambushed Sergey, which led them back to Callie being cornered by Makhel; the second individual who’d been aiding to the destruction around LA, sending their trackers and alerts off frequently yet unable to hone in on what caused them. The same night they had tried phoning Kandomere over Tikka being just outside, he’d already been on his way to the diversion Makhel had caused thinking it was Tikka; both of them had had MTF running around like headless chickens. 

Upon learning about just how maniacally powerful Makhel was, coupled with the disaster he left behind, it was clear none of them stood much of a chance on their own, which is why she sought out Ward. Maybe MTF would have been able to prevent it all if they’d made it in time, but he was such a dangerously erratic individual that surely it wouldn’t have been one simple take down. Surely some, or even multiple officials would have lost their lives just like the innocent bystanders he’d been claiming along his warpath. 

While it was true that Makhel had been successful in murdering hundreds of Brights, all three of them disputed the level of involvement Rania had with it. 

Kandomere insisted vehemently that she was just as responsible, but Nick fought back, detailing her sacrifice to spare Ward, expose Tikka- even offering some of her final moments to rekindle Callie and Leo before ultimately letting Makhel deal the last blow if it meant saving all of them with the exception of Fero. If it hadn’t been for her, even as she fought past her own demise, surely Callie wouldn’t be sitting in a room just down the hall. Ward likely would be dead, maybe Nick- definitely Tikka, even though they had no idea where they had left her in that deserted town. 

Nick was certain Kandomere’s stance on Rania was umovable once it was revealed she was an Orc hybrid; his view on anything Orc was hideously skewed, so why would he think a half-Orc was capable of anything good?

Nick’s battling turned Kandomere hostile. Never had he seen such an outburst; a thrown chair and papers swept off the tables surface, his usually pale skin darkening into a furious flush as he hollered at the officer, but he stuck to his guns even as the elf berated him with accusations of a cover-up. All of their first hand accounts correlated flawlessly, but that still didn’t calm Kandomere’s bitterness, but Nick couldn’t blame him entirely. He’d spent the better part of his adult life hunting down Tikka’s bloodline and anyone Inferni, so to think that anyone involved with her could even _possibly_ be innocent just wasn’t plausible. 

When Tikka’s defective and deceptive plan was explained, it was like being handed the pieces of the trail MTF couldn’t complete. 

They finally knew why she’d ventured back to LA so suddenly, but without her in custody, all of their efforts to find the three taken against their will and the repeated interrogations was ultimately useless. 

Daryl and Nick were surprised the interrogations ended so quickly, but without the one person they intended on apprehending, and without either wand, they were shipped off to Medical. If MTF was cold before, they were glacial now. 

It seemed they’d expected more out of them, even as victims of a kidnapping and near murder, and now they were useless to them once again. 

Nick could care less when Kandomere ordered him out, the crook of his palm cupping his forehead as the beginnings of a sharp headache creeped under his skull. It made Nick wonder who the Elf reported to; who he faced with the grim news, but that thought was quickly pushed aside as he was taken to the separate facility that was a clear stretch across the underground structure, then up again, leading him to the same barren medical floor he’d stayed briefly in after their first encounter with the wand. 

A long sigh of relief dropped his tense shoulders when he spotted Callie after scanning the wide floor quickly, her blood being drawn and pressure and oxygen being monitored with the other arm. 

He flashed her a reassuring grin when she spotted him, her head perking up immediately, but he still had to go through the drills. 

The stripping, disinfecting, examining for any remnants of the wand across their skin. Stitches were undone and redone, wounds again cleaned and bandaged; x-rays, ultrasounds, geiger counters- all of it. He was sore all over again by the time he’d been scrubbed raw and sent to a bed barefoot in stif scrubs, but he took hold of his own IV pole to first maneuver before Callie who’d finally been able to lay back after a much more extensive and invasive examination. She’d been physically exposed to magic, but even with all the tests done there was no knowing if it would effect with Leo or herself down the line. 

He wrapped her in a bone crushing hug, scrunching his nose past the strong stench of disinfectant wash in her hair and skin. “We’re almost done,” he mumbled into her hair, feeling her nod under his chin. 

“Okay.” She exhaled, unwillingly unwinding from him when he moved to his own bed to be connected to his own monitors and have his own blood drawn. 

There was another long wait after they were finally left in peace to rest in their beds as the night ended and another soft LA sunrise started to creep through the massive windows lining the space they were in. Likely the higher ups were deciding what to do with them- compiling their accounts and their credibility. Neither Ward or Nick knew what could happen if it was decided they were lying, but Nick wouldn’t voice that to Callie. He believed she could make it home even if it was decided he wouldn’t; Callie had been roped in against her will. There was no reason for her to even still be there when it came down to it. 

He watched her drifting in and out of sleep, her eyes meeting his in between the heavy blinks. The thin sheets did little to keep her warm in the cool room, he could tell. She was curled tight around her stomach, her arm hung over the edge of the bed. 

Even if he stretched he couldn’t reach her, and it started to weaken his patience. 

It was impossible not to count the minutes dragging by when all he had to do was watch the sun move higher into the sky, sometimes rolling over to ask how Ward was doing, but there was only stiff head shakes and a stiffer purse of his lips, his eyes trailing the armed and suited officials standing at each end of their beds. 

After a while he started to drift, the dull stinging from the reopened wounds across him and bruises dulling enough to allow his mind to slip into a quiet place, but he was worried if he let himself wander there, he’d wake up to find himself alone. 

There was brief times he let his eyes rest, only to jitter awake and realize he’d been out longer then he meant when the sun was in a different location in the sky, and although he told himself to remain vigilant, it happened again and again. The fourth time it happened, the sun was setting, but by then, he was too tired to care. Nick could barely find the energy to keep his eyes blinking rapidly enough to look over at Callie who had tossed and thrown her sheets around, finally settled into a deep sleep. 

At least she’s sleeping, he thought to himself before eyeing the guard at his bed who had taken a look at her longer than Nick cared for. 

His brows arched weakly, a low growl rolling off of him loud enough to bring the guards attention to the Orc who then chuffed, asserting his claim over his mate. Even if he only received an eyeroll in return, he made his stance known. 

Nick exhaled. _To a fucking human- real effective, dumbass_. 

He adjusted his head, fighting a yawn in his throat until it erupted. 

If he could stay awake, just a little longer…

 

“Jakoby.”

Nick sprang up, the film over his eyes only adding to the confusion when he looked about and for a dragging second, didn’t recognize the room he was in until he found Callie sitting up in the gurney beside his. In a few short strokes of time, he was reacclimated, and now staring at Kandomere who was before the three of them, his hair tied back and fatigue hanging under his eyes. 

“Sleep well?” Kandomere’s thick voice carried through the open floor, but Nick’s chuff carried farther. 

“Okay we’re all up, let’s get this shit going so we can get the fuck outta here,” Daryl interjected before Nick and Kandomere started one of their typical squabbles. 

“As you know we’ve been going over the details of your kidnapping to determine whether or not you had any willing involvement in what transpired, and we’ve been in contact with a team left behind in Balderrama to authenticate your claims-”

“Lemme guess, Tikka wasn’t there?” Ward already knew without asking, but Kandomere’s stiff nod verified it. _Not surprised_. 

“We did not find her or the wands,” he exhaled sharply, “but we did find the bodies of the three you detailed,”he paused to open the folder he’d been holding, turning a few pages. “Makhel Portela, Rania Almeida and Fero Dragavei who in fact used to operate under Florida’s MTF branch,” he laid out photos along Daryl’s bed as he explained, their mutilated bodies frozen in time forever. 

“She left Fero there?” Nick asked, grabbing the photos when handed to him. 

“What good does carrying around a body do?” Callie asked, who had risen from her bed creakily to come sit by Nick, and look down at Rania’s photo dismally. She’d been scooped clean of every fiber of life, leaving her a discolored husk. “What’ll happen to their bodies?” 

“Dragavei signed a proper disposal of remains contract when he first signed up, so he’ll be sent back to Florida and likely cremated to prevent distribution of his organs. The Orc will be autopsied and studied, and the hybrid will be held until we can locate any family or next of kin,” Kandomere explained, gathering the photos again. 

“Distribution of his organs? Like on the black market?” Nick asked, somewhat perplexed. 

“Bright remains are worth millions but otherwise useless,”

Callie held up Rani’s photo. “Can you go through the school they were at?”

“The school was destroyed after most of Shield of Light was killed off,”

“Her dad’s name is Tannatar, she told me,” 

Kandomere nodded. “I’ll pass it on,”

It didn’t help much, but Callie hoped it would help reunite Rania with her family, even if what they would come to see was dismal. 

“And us? You gonna send us out in body bags too?” Ward snapped; if he was destined to a bullet in the head or the rest of his years in a dingy underground cell, he wanted to get on with it already. 

For once Kandomere chuckled. “No,” he cleared his throat, composing himself before facing Nick and Callie. 

“On the night of March 14th, a dome of light hovering over downtown LA for approximately two and a half minutes was reported but found to be only an explosion from one of the businesses connected to a chain mall. You two happened to be shopping in that center at the time of the explosion, and tonight,” he glanced at his impressive pocket watch. “In twenty three minutes, you’ll be discharged and return home for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. Your place of employment has already been notified,” he acknowledged Callie when her hand started to raise in concern, but it landed back in her lap. 

“You were called to the scene of that same explosion when it was announced that terrorists could have been the direct cause, subsequently leading to exposure of an unknown gas leaking from the site. You were held in quarantine for three days and were discharged two hours ago but had to visit the precinct to retrieve your personal effects,” he then relayed to Ward, passing out their mock medical documents.

They all stared vacantly at Kandomere although listening intently, and although it seemed far fetched to blame their disappearances on a mock explosion, it smoothed over better than being hijacked by a Bright and hunted down by another. 

“And I need not remind you all that you were exposed to raw magic and the wand for extended periods of time. You’ve all been cleared but stay vigilant for side effects of plasma poisoning, especially you,” he pointed to Callie. “We still don’t know how magic affects the body long term. I advise you to see your doctor soon,”

“I assume we still have a mountain of paperwork to sign?” Nick asked. 

“Refusal will land you in a hole for the rest of your life,” Kandomere replied coolly. 

Whereas the men had expected it, Callie hadn’t, and his cavalier manner about the entire cover-up rattled her nerves. 

“Will we go back to the weekly interviews?” Nick asked, his tone dissatisfied.

“No. It obviously couldn’t keep you two out of trouble, but until Tikka is apprehended, you all will have a tail on you for your own safety,” 

“Will they _stay_ there or run off when there’s another explosion?” Ward mouthed off without a reply from Kandomere as he glided off towards a table with paperwork covering its surface. 

“Do you think anyone even noticed we were gone?” Callie mumbled, but Nick shook his head. 

“It was only two days we were gone,” he whispered back. 

“Feels like weeks though.”

The clearing of a throat brought them back to Kandomere, the papers in order and three pens in hand as he waited. 

The trio sighed, their impatience growing by the second. 

 

More car rides that seemed to drag on longer than the interrogations. 

Daryl had left in separate transport, voicing to Nick that if he should not show up to work by the time their leave was over with, it was Sherri who likely murdered him. 

Slipping back into the crusty, rancid clothing only aided her anxiousness watching every street light turn red upon their arrival to the next intersection. Knowing exactly where she was now meant she knew exactly how long it took to get home, and she also knew that the ride from the unlabeled building was a stretch across town. Nick was silent beside her while often pulling her back by the shoulders in hopes she’d relax at least a little. 

She’d stay settled for half a minute at most, resorting to leaning over her round stomach to take note of the landmarks zooming by them. 

Nick finally kept an arm locked around her shoulders, his grip unyielding one of the times she tried to tug her way upright. 

To say he was calm though would be a lie; he was just better at hiding his anxiousness, but watching Callie fidget around started to making his knee bounce. 

When the SUV turned onto their street, they were already gathering their items, the door swinging open before the car could come to a complete stop. There were no goodbyes or even curt nods in thanks- only the swift slam of the door once they’d stepped onto the sidewalk, and it was off. 

The neighborhood was quiet, as it always was this time of night, only the soft spraying of sprinklers from an adjacent lawn. Even the air in LA smelled homey; taco shops and smog, who would’ve thought Nick could appreciate something like that.

“Would it make sense if I said the sidewalk felt nice?” Nick smiled, but glancing over found her slumped shoulders and fatigue seemingly having increased tenfold. “What’s wrong?”

She rubbed her eyes while croaking, “Pucca’s in there,”

The joy upon arriving home was kicked clear off. He ran his hand across the top of his head with a deep groan. In the midst of the marathons of interrogations and exams and contracts, it had admittedly slipped right through the cracks of his mind. Three days later, he knew they’d be dealing with quite a morbid scene and the heartache they’d left behind as they ran.

“I’ll go in first,” he offered, but she shook her head, blinking away the start of tears. 

“No I wanna go in too,” she took a steadying breath, clearing the crack in her voice when the constricting of repressed sobs tightened her throat. “She’s my baby too. I want to help.”

Surely she was wary, but her hardened brows and stiff frown showed determination through the exhaustion. 

He slipped his palm into hers, leading her up the dewy lawn to the broken door closed only enough to make passing eyes think it still had a doorknob and deadbolt. Nick pushed the door open, flipping on the light and following Callie in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did my best on that fight scene but if it's bad, forgive me! those kind of scenes are ffffffffucking hard to write 🖤  
> AND YAY TIME TO START GETTING BACK TO CUTE FLUFFY STUFF CUZ MAKHEL IS **DONE**. 
> 
> thank you for all who continue to stick around while the updates are not staggered! i appreciate each and every one of you!!!   
> if anyone has any questions about the characters (because i know i've been kind of vague about the details and backgrounds) please feel free to drop a comment or ask on my tumblr! and as always, feedback is appreciated! 
> 
> Translations:  
> +Agh thaav'uk killaumn mausan fuckaumn hundur: that's for killing my fucking dog.


	15. Goodbyes

## 2 Months Later

She was taping another box stuffed to its limit when the glittering piano loop started droning through the house, stirring a long sigh from Callie before her head dropped back, waiting. 

“Why’re men great ‘til they gotta be great?” came Nick’s voice carrying from the kitchen. 

“Again with the song,” she intoned, looking back down at the box she was securing with packing tape. She could hear the twisting of the ice trays before dropping cubes in glasses, all the while singing to himself as he prepared drinks. 

She did her best to ignore the song, it having been the thousandth time she’d heard the tune in only a weeks time, and she even made extra loops around boxes with the tape so the tearing of it drowned out some of the noise still coming in. 

A tall glass of cold tea popped up beside her along with Nick, a sheepish grin meeting her when she looked up suspiciously, _again waiting_. She sipped, her eyes fluttering when the cold drink washed away some of the stifling heat that made its way under her sweaty skin in the spare room they’d spent all of the muggy morning cleaning out. 

“That’s good,” she groused, pushing her glasses up to press the chilled cup to her flushed cheek. The ceiling fan above them did nothing to help, only pushing around the stuffy air even as the breeze swept across her damp arms and stomach she’d lifted her shirt from some time ago. As soon as the warm weather had hit LA, wearing anything over her sizable stomach had simply become bothersome, resulting in sports bras and boy shorts being her new go-to. 

“You coulda had a bad bitch, noncommittal,” Nick started up again, swaying his hips in time with his side to side bounces behind her after he’d taken off his own soaked shirt, leaving him in old jeans. 

“Oh my god Nick,” 

“Help you with you career, just a little,” he went on, picking up the box she’d finished packing and dancing it out of the room. 

“How do you have so much energy?” she whined, arching into her hands that pressed into the achy crook of her spine. 

“Cuz I get to see my baby today,” Nick came back in with a wide smile and shimmying shoulders that coaxed a reluctant grin onto Callie’s lips before he dipped behind her to wrap his brawny arms under her bust and shoulders. 

“ _Nooo_ , we’re all sweaty,” she griped, ultimately melting in his arms when he only squeezed tighter. He swayed her gently as he mumbled soft words of delight in regards to her scent after pressing his nose against her neck, reminding her how much he liked when she was sweaty. It made her groan, her head landing back against his chest while his hands wandered down her sides. 

“You’re getting so big,” he admired, trailing the full curve of her stomach even when she groaned in discomfort. 

“If anyone else said that I’d tear their kneecaps out,” she mumbled bitterly, stirring a throaty chuckle from Nick. “C’mon, we gotta get this done,” she tried wiggling from his hold. 

“We don’t have to finish it today,” he reminded, reluctantly letting go after nibbling her bare shoulder playfully. 

“But wouldn’t it be nice to come home and set up the crib?” she questioned, grunting when she hoisted up another box to sort through. 

“Will you stop with the heavy lifting?” he barked, taking the box from her. 

“If you’d stop dancing around and help me with this I wouldn’t have to,” she pointed out, but he only mocked her, flinching from the slap against his arm. “We should look at storage units after the appointment today, I don’t know where we’ll find space to put all of this,” she exhaled, holding her cheeks as her eyes roamed over the various belongings they’d both stuffed into the room through the years. 

“Hey,” he took a step backwards with another crate of junk in his arms. “Don’t stress, if push comes to shove I can throw stuff out,”

“What- no! We just need to organize it,” she reasoned, and although it took a moment, she finally understood his little grin once her own words really sank into the growing anxiousness collecting in her chest. She was thinking too far ahead again when all the could do was just sort and toss; worry about the now, not the future, he’d say. 

“You’re not feelin’ it today, are you?” he asked, and she shook her head. 

“It’s hot, and Leo has been lunging since like, three AM and the _braxton hicks_ ,” she trailed off, holding her hand over her eyes, swaying side to side to calm the ever erratic Leo. 

“Let’s just finish this later then. Go take a shower and relax ‘til we have to leave,” he tried. 

“I just wanna get it done so we don’t have to come back to it. Please? I know I’ve been a cranky bitch all morning, I’m sorry, but can we just get this over with?” she plead, her chin bumping his shoulder. 

Nick sighed. “Are you sure you don’t need to sit down?”

“I promise I’m fine, I just need a shower when this is all done,” 

He pursed his lips, looking her up and down once. She really didn’t show any signs of physical stress besides being bugged by the heat. “Alright, let’s get this done.”

They’d started at the crack of dawn, and by noon managed to clear the cluttered room enough to uncover and open the window at the far end of the room, both of them sighing in pleasure when the cool breeze from outside at last drifted in. There were boxes upon boxes stacked over bags, most of which ended up piled around the garbage outside, but the more important items were neatly organized and restacked under the patio in preparation to be taken to storage, _whenever that would be_. 

Nick tugged in the wide, heavy box containing Leo’s crib as she finished vacuuming the plush carpet that had been almost untouched since he’d first moved in nearly a decade ago, moving aside so he could prop it under the window. 

“Didn’t realize how big it is in here,” she grunted while sitting at the center of the floor, her legs outstretched and leaning back on her hands. 

“Should be able to put a dresser and rocker in here, too,” Nick estimated, sitting beside her. 

Callie hummed, looking at all the corners and blank walls. “Now what color?”

“Blue?”

She snorted. “Boring,”

“It’s a boy color,” he argued. 

“It’s not _Leo_ though,” she explained, head tilting. “I feel golden-brown,”

“You gonna want it to be glittery too?” he teased, but she smacked his thigh with the back of her hand. An agonized groan brought his eyes to her, watching as her back tensed and her toes curled. “Bad one?”

“They’re not bad, just annoying when they stack up like that all day. It’s worse at work with those awful chairs,”

“Speaking of, you’re supposed to be on maternity leave already,” he confronted, shooting her a vexxed glare. 

“I’m waiting as long as possible, you know I get stir crazy,” she mumbled. 

“Is it worth _that_ though?” he pointed out when another cramp seized her concentration.

“It’s only another week, calm down,” she waved his concern away, imitating his chuff when he fired one at her. She was getting better at that. 

“It’s hard just watching you walk around on those heels sometimes,” 

“I’ve seen moms keep going at 40 weeks and not complain, I’m fine at 28,”

“How many of them were high risk though, you stubborn mule?” he teased, but she only giggled and grinned, appreciative of his sympathy, but he probably didn’t realise that although the chairs at work caused her stressed back further misery, she did a lot more sitting than walking around during the day, so the heels were the least of her worries. 

A strong kick outwards prompted a wince and soft grunt, her hand falling to her stomach. “Someone’s awake,” 

“I saw that one,” Nick grinned, poking the spot he’d seen a foot or elbow, or maybe even a knee push out. He found great enjoyment in pressing the spots across her stomach Leo pushed first, sometimes getting a little shove from the same spot. 

“Okay you two, enough,” she slapped his hand away, Nick springing up to help her stand when she struggled onto her knees. “The shower is calling me.”

Callie waddled her way to the bathroom after Nick told her he’d be in the back for a bit. She stripped the sweaty bra and shorts off, running her fingers through her shaggy undercut with a sound of displeasement before letting her long hair down from its lopsided bun. 

The water remained cold once she stepped under the stream, both shivering and moaning when it bled across her scalp. The sweat and dust caked on her skin and hands washed away as she scrubbed the luscious bubbles across herself, her jaw even hanging open in bliss when she scrubbed her scalp heatedly. 

When she finished shaving her legs- with some difficulty- she glanced downwards, taken aback when she remembered she couldn’t even see her feet anymore. 

Callie huffed, placing the razor back in the shower caddy. 

_I need to get waxed_. 

The cold shower left her feeling the warmth lingering in the house again once she padded her way to their room, dropping the towel around her feet and beginning her ritual of bathing in lotion and cocoa butter. 

She’d managed to keep the stretch marks that still grew dully along her stomach and hips mostly at bay, but with every week that Leo grew rapidly, the more they started to show across her tanned skin like scars. Generous palmfuls of the body butter was lathered into her skin, even across her breasts and ass where she could see the evidence of further weight gain her resilient cravings caused. 

She turned before the mirror to make sure she covered the crow across her back in goo evenly before moving onto the heartagrams down her sides, but slowly stopped the longer she stared at her reflection. 

Often, even before Nick, she’d stared at her form and wondered what she would look like in late pregnancy, daydreaming how kicks felt and if the pregnancy glow really existed. To now be blessed enough that it only took a small lift of her hand to feel her own baby flutter beneath her fingers sometimes left her in awe, amazed that her once temperamental body now chose to support life. 

She held her hair up, overlooking everything from her chin down to her toes; her swollen toes, that was. 

Callie didn’t think herself to be otherworldly, maybe decent at best, but even she could admit her body took to pregnancy well compared to others. She’d avoided the breakouts early on and even though some days she grew pale from the nausea, her skin was soft and supple from all the lotion she caked on daily. The Orkish prenatals had made her waves luscious, cascading around her shoulders and back when she dropped her locks. 

Her arms wrapped loosely around herself, lifting a knee onto her tippy toes and turning to gaze at the side profile of her curved, pregnant body; a pose she often took when sending photos to Nick to torture him while he worked. 

But even now basking in the thin stream of sunlight coming in, inspecting every new pound that widened her hips or filled out her ass, she felt good; there was nothing she’d change about herself in this moment. 

“Should I get naked too?” 

She scoffed before even turning to find Nick leaned in the doorway and stunningly shirtless with his jeans riding low on his hips, but the Clumbasters hid his hungry eyes. 

“You need to shower,” she directed weakly with a wide smile, butterflies erupting in her gut when he was already placing his sunglasses down and sauntering up to her. 

He was careful not to brush her shimmering skin when he leaned down to capture her mouth in a soft kiss, but he couldn’t, just couldn’t stop from touching her when the soft whispers grew heated and the yearn he’d felt spike in his chest upon finding her naked before the mirror skyrocketed. 

It started at her face, his thumbs tracing under her heavy eyes when he kissed her how she loved; deep ones, his tongue teasing her parted lips until she was inclining to chase his mouth. After that, neither of them cared how clean she was or how sweaty and coated in dirt he was. 

The throaty whine she emitted provoked his own soft groan, looping an arm around her waist when her weight shifted against him. 

She turned boneless in his embrace, pressing hungry kisses into his collar as he moved her hair aside to ravish her throat in soft bites and sucks, greedily digging his fingers into her bare ass cheek when she stroked his growing cock through the jeans. 

A resonating growl blossomed in his chest, her essence dizzying him with every deep inhale or taste of her tongue. He was already so fucking drunk on her that he had to blink away the fog before his eyes, his body rigid with anticipation, wanting to sink his dick into her until he found the back of her pussy.

“You’re going into heat soon, aren’t you?” she breathed, her damp hair tossed around her face and following his steps as he moved her back towards the bed. Nick smirked; he smelled the spike in her arousal when she asked. 

“Maybe,” he growled, but he knew two days ago it was coming. He’d woken up flushed and rock-hard with no recollection of any dreams to have caused it, but upon passing their calendar besides the door, it made sense once taking note of the days marked ahead of time. 

Even if Callie wasn’t on her monthly cycle, his body was, and still wanted to _breed_. 

He lowered her carefully, his mouth detaching from her nipple with an audible pop so he could press wet kisses under her chin, pulling her knees from beneath him. 

“A quickie,” she exhaled, her touch fluttering across his shoulders. 

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled into her lips, moving to drag his mouth down between her breasts. 

“Nooo,” she lamented, trying to pull him back up, but he pinned her hands down as he grinned deviously up at her, running his cheek down her stomach. “You’re gonna see my double chins!”

“Not with my face in your pussy,” he growled, sending a flush across her cheeks and goosebumps down her sides.

He fucking loved when a calf came to rest across his shoulder blade after maneuvering over her stomach and between her thighs, kissing her clit before spreading her lips. He salivated as he admired her glistening sex, his painfully hard dick twitching in the uncomfortable confines of his jeans.

When his hot tongue lapped at her, sucking gently against her clit as he purred, a desperate cry cracked in her throat, his arms curling around her thighs to keep her still. He listened intently to the way she sobbed his name, smiling when he found a luscious spot and her thighs closed around his head. 

“Dame más.” She gasped. Nick grinned against her cunt.

_Fuck the quickie_. 

↠

Callie elbowed him after the other Orc stepped out of the elevator, their brief exchange having not gone unnoticed by her. 

She knew as soon as they stepped on that he’d smell it on Callie; Nick’s seed left deep inside her, the indication even sharper since he’d gone into heat. Forget the baby he’d stuck in her- Orcs would smell the fresh fucking above anything. She’d also caught Nick puffing his chest, his arm sliding from her shoulders to around her neck. 

“Don’t you think the stomach already proves you fucked me?” she asked lowly once they were alone, but he snorted. 

“Still good to let ‘em know who does the fucking.” He smiled cockily, earning a roll of her eyes as the elevator opened to their floor. 

He eased up on the Orkish displays as they entered the waiting room filled only with humans and found their seats after picking up the same, extensive check-in forms she’d nearly memorized by heart. Nick looked on lazily until she finished, both of them looking around at the many sets of eyes staring at them curiously before disregarding them and pulling their phones out. 

Callie frowned at her screen, bumping Nick’s elbow. 

“Look at Yareli,” she handed over the phone to show him Patricia’s two month old, chubby cheeked with dark eyes and a full head of hair grinning gummily at the camera. 

“Oh God,” Nick said affectionately, zooming in to see how her round cheeks narrowed her almond eyes. 

“She’s so cute,” Callie sighed, pouting before she closed the photo and responded to Rosie. 

“You wanna see her, don’t you?” he asked, his chin rested in his palm. 

Callie nodded, pursing her lips. “But Trish is back to hating me,” 

“What’s it this time?”

“Fuck if I know,” she exhaled, adjusting in her seat and twirling her hair over the opposite shoulder, then fixing her tight, twisted tank dress around her stomach. “Why did I decide on this dress?”

“It’s easier to pull up dresses than push down pants,” he recited as he skimmed Facebook. 

She only grumbled, finally finding a favorable spot that was with his hand between her thighs so she could lean comfortably on his stretched arm, watching the videos he scrolled through. 

“I wonder how Dura is doing,” she mentioned. 

“Well they’re home already,” 

“Yeah but I know what it’s like seeing your boyfriend all mangled in a hospital bed,” 

He shrugged. “He wasn’t mangled though,” 

Callie flicked his hand. “She broke seven of his ribs,” 

“The burns too,” he shuddered, recalling the poor condition Sergey had been in when they last visited.

 

_Callie’s arms were already open once they’d stepped through the heavy hospital door, squeezing Dura tightly when she melted into her embrace._

_“How’re you doing? Are you eating okay?” Callie questioned, pulling back to rub Dura’s arms._

_“It’s hospital food, but it’s still food,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes._

_“I brought some food that the nurses said you could keep in the fridge, okay? You need to keep your meals up for that little one,” Callie insisted, holding the sides of her small belly that had just started to show at a surprising three weeks along._

_Dura smiled weakly, moving to hug Nick when he came at her with open arms too before they followed her through the shared hall and into Sergey’s room._

_“What the hell happened to you two?” Sergey rasped, propped up with a multitude of pillows and gown open to let the ointment spread across the shallow burns over his chest and face. Callie retracted quicker than she meant after leaning over to give him a careful hug and kiss on the cheek, glancing at Nick._

_“Yeah I was going to say, you two look like you were in a car accident,” Dura pointed out, motioning towards the overall mangled appearance Nick and Callie had walked in with._

_“We were at that explosion on 31st,” Callie beat Nick to one of the poorly constructed excuses that was piecing together in his head._

_“Really? How close? I’m surprised you two didn’t see Sergey there,” Dura’s swollen eyes widened._

_“Yeah, how close?” Sergey piped, his lips mashed together in a riled scowl and glaring at Nick._

_Thankfully Dura missed his temperamental tone, instead making herself busy trying to declutter the room they’d been stuck in for two weeks already, but Callie’s insistence that she relax eventually halted her frantic efforts as Nick found a seat on Sergey’s other side._

_“How much longer are you in for?” Nick asked._

_“Until I can take care of these at home. That **explosion** really fucked me up,” he emphasized his words with a hard stare, but Nick could only show his apologetic look partially; they were under contract not to talk about this shit and here Sergey was being… Sergey. _

_Callie sensed the boiling temper. “Do you have to do the breathing exercises? Nick hated those when he broke his ribs,” she tried, Nick nodding fervently when she eyed him._

_Sergey only chuffed, staring blankly at the TV even as Dura leaned towards him in confusion, her hairless brows knit together._

_“How’re you feeling? How’s the baby?” Callie distracted her quickly too, and for a second time Nick exhaled lowly in relief, running his hands down his face._

_“Oh- I’m good, it’s good, I’ve just been kind of side-tracked lately so I haven’t really… thought about it,” she trailed off, pulling on her earlobe nervously._

_“You’ll be amazed at how often you can forget that when it’s attached to you,” Callie smiled, the two giggling._

_When Sergey remained unmoving, and expressionless, Nick slyly motioned his head towards the door and Callie nodded._

_“Hey let’s go get some lunch, our treat! We’ll bring something back for the guys, yeah?” Callie asked Dura, already standing and pulling her along despite Dura looking back at Sergey in concern._

_“Don’t let him get up, Nick!” Dura called, pushing into her slippers and grabbing her sweater as Callie ushered her out of the door._

_It wasn’t until he heard the second door latch did Nick scoop the remote up and turn the TV off, forcing Sergey to look at him even if the stare was bitter._

_“I’m sorry,” Nick said first, sincerely, but Sergey shook his head. “I never thought you would be a part of this,”_

_“I don’t even know what all of this is!” he hissed, wincing when his ribs spasmed. “They told me nothing about her and instead swore me to secrecy or my life is thrown away with it’s key!”_

_“It’s best if you don’t know about any of it-”_

_“How can you say that when I was attacked? By that psycho?”_

_Sergey’s usually vibrant eyes were dismal, full of betrayal, and Nick swallowed his words, dropping his head. He was right._

_“I was left there until someone found me-” his voice shook, looking away. Nick waited patiently, his eyes averted as his young partner wiped his eyes crudely against his shoulder with a few sniffles. He well understood the sinking hopelessness of staring up at the night sky, completely consumed with the reality that you were going to die alone. “I couldn’t even tell Dura. All she does it stay awake with me and barely eats now. Because of all of this she doesn’t remember she’s pregnant,”_

_Nick nodded; what words of advice could he offer when he knew Callie would have acted the same no matter how insistent he was she take better care of herself?_

_“You and Callie obviously weren’t at the explosion,” Sergey cleared his throat, carefully adjusting the pillows under his arms._

_“No,” Nick sighed. “We were taken, with Ward, chased down by two more Brights. Callie was almost killed, we all were,” he confessed, his temple resting in his palm._

_Sergey looked at him in surprise. “What?”_

_Nick nodded, the recollection of their ordeal still not far enough away for his liking. “It was absolute hell, but I’m sorry you were ever sucked into it, I really am,”_

_Sergey’s face scrunched, his temperment lessening. “What happened? To… to them? The Brights?”_

_“If MTF came here then you know we can’t talk about it, even to us, so don’t. Don’t let Dura know about this because it won’t happen again, trust me,” Nick lied through his reassurance even though Sergey still wasn’t satisfied with such a vague response._

_“How would I even tell her anything when I know nothing?” he muttered._

_Nick nodded again. “I’m really sorry Sergey. I tried to keep it under wraps but… I’m just sorry,”_

_Sergey ran his tongue over his clipped tusks much like Nick did when he was contemplating, and eventually shrugged, grabbing for the remote again. “You owe me lunches for a year, old man.”_

_Nick scoffed in addition to a long exhale of relief; he’d come in thinking Sergey was going to be the one that would be tossed away after showing reluctance, and had ultimately expected some disdain after what Nick had accidentally involved him in, but now he could relax. There was no need to get into specifics, because even though Sergey knew not of the extensive trauma he and Callie had been through, he’d had his own share and was sworn to keep the same secrets, and that was it._

 

“They’ll be okay,” Nick reassured, squeezing her thigh. 

“Yeah I hope so,” Callie pouted, her chin resting on his shoulder, her line of sight roaming. “One of them could be the tail, huh?”

Nick too looked up, discreetly observing the many couples and mothers to be occupying the waiting room. “Could be,”

“Why would they send a pregnant one?”

“Could be a fake stomach,” 

She looked at him in horror, provoking a low chuckle from Nick. “They’d do that?”

“If it means preserving their cover, then yeah I think they’d do that,” he frowned, watching her expression convey the pieces connecting in her head. 

“I’m suddenly really uncomfortable,” she mumbled. 

“Flores?”

They both turned at the call of her name, Nick jumping up to gently pull her from her seat. “I guess we’ll know if one of them follows us into the exam.” 

 

“My hands are cold, I’m sorry in advance,” Callie’s doctor expressed before she started palpating her round stomach. She tensed more so from the extra pressure put on her bladder, her thighs tightening. 

“She’s ticklish, watch out,” Nick mocked.

“How can you not be being poked around like this? Ahh, he’s head down now,” Dr. Sangui’s eyes moved in various directions as her hands were left to do all the imaging.

“Is that bad?”

“Not at all. He won’t be breech, which is good- we don’t want butts coming out first,”

“Doesn’t that also mean I’m gonna pop soon?” Callie asked cautiously, alerting Nick into a straighter position. 

“It could, but babies can flip down as early as two months in advance so don’t solely rely on this little spin,” Dr. Sangui winked at Nick who’s shoulders were slowly relaxing. 

“We still have stuff to buy,” he grieved.

“Oh I think you still have time for that- oh! Looks like someone is waking up,” she laughed, her finger following the movement under Callie’s skin. 

“He seems to act up when we start talking,” Callie noted. 

“Well he can hear you two by now, he’ll definitely recognize your voices when he’s born,”

“Really?” Nick perked up again, his eyes full of wonder. 

“Come talk to him, I bet he’ll kick,” Dr. Sangui encouraged as she stepped away to wheel the ultrasound machine over. 

Nick scampered over quickly from his seat, leaning in close to her stomach. “Leo? Leonardo Makar, do lat daggog alnej?” he sang, and when an enthusiastic punch bumped Nick’s chin, he beamed up at Callie. 

“So it’s not a coincidence that he jumps around when he hears you talk,” Callie realized, and Nick’s smile only grew. 

“I love you too mausan liavavle ni,” he declared softly, quickly pecking her stomach before moving back to his chair as the lights dimmed and the doctor returned with the machine. 

It seemed as soon as Nick wasn’t there to lull Leo that he was unwilling to cooperate, as was the norm when trying to get a clear image of the elusive little one during ultrasounds. He spun and hid, kicking Callie in retaliation when they tried nudging him the other way.

“And, there’s your big guy,” Dr. Sangui smiled after Leo finally settled enough for her to position the probe for a perfect side profile just as his little hands had rose to rub over his face. 

“Oh c’mon, I wanna see who’s nose he’s gonna have,” Callie grinned. 

“He’s gonna show us at his debut,” Nick cooed warmly, absently toying with Callie’s hand as he watched Leo wiggle and nudge in his ever shrinking space. 

“You’re just worried he’s gonna look more like me,” 

“Damn right I am,” 

“Ahh don’t be,” Dr. Sangui started as she handed Callie her scans and a towel to dry her stomach. “The father’s genes are more dominant in Orc human offspring,”

“So my nose, your color,” Callie teased. 

“What if he’s _your_ color and _my_ nose?” Nick pondered, admittedly a little bewildered imagining a pale Orc. “I’ve never seen a human colored one before,”

“There’s been albinos, it’s actually common in halflings,” 

Nick and Callie looked at one another, both of them recognizing the concern brimming their eyes. 

“Okay!” she clasped her hands together. “Let’s see your kick counter.”

↠

Callie groaned below her breath, leaning back into her hand and swaying side to side even if it did little to ease the discomfort in her back and legs. The line was expectantly long, and with the woman up front chattering before they collected their bags- some ordering fifteen kilos worth of fresh, warm tortillas- had left Callie in line for close to forty five minutes and beginning to wonder where Nick had run off to in the cramped market seconds before he popped back up. 

“Took you all that time to find _that_?” she asked, eyeing the cucumbers and Takis. 

“I was looking at the pork shoulder, sassy,” he shot back, already knowing to curl his arms around her shoulders so she could lean back against his chest.

“Craving carnitas?” she sighed, letting her head fall back against his chest. 

He hummed, his cheek against her temple and swaying them gently. The longer he beared some of her weight, the more the discomfort rolled off until it was tolerable, but the line was at a standstill with one of the customers asking for six bags. 

Callie groaned. “We should’ve gone to Sawaya,”

“We can still go,”

“I don’t wanna lose my spot in line,” she snapped. When Nick didn’t respond, she exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry,”

“What’s up? You’ve been edgy since we left the doctors office,”

She shrugged, but still answered, “I keep thinking about what she said- about halflings coming out albino,”

Nick shifted a little, moving his chin atop her head. “Would you be upset if he came out albino?”

“Not in the way I wouldn’t love him, but more he’s going to be teased. Does it bother you?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“No, never. I mean- I always worry about him being teased because… you know, but no matter how he comes out, that’s my boy, my kid. There’s not even a chance I’d ever consider skipping out if anything was wrong with him,” Nick promised, holding tighter when she wiggled closer to him. “Did I give the impression I wouldn’t be in this if that were the case?”

“No baby, I just worry. I’ve had experience with babies and toddlers and all that and a little with conditions cuz you know Francisca is autistic, but… you’ve never taken care of kids or dealt with that kind of stuff. You’re already stepping into fatherhood without experience, but adding special needs? I couldn’t gauge how you were handling that possibility,” she explained, slowly growing quieter. 

“I mean it shocked me for a minute, but then the next it was just a possibility and it didn’t affect how I feel about him at all. That’s my baby boy,” he nuzzled behind her ear, grinning when she chuckled. “Nothin’ is gonna make me run, Cal,”

“Good cuz after she said he’ll likely start teething at three months it just proved I have no idea how to raise a little Nick,” she ribbed, earning a chuff against her ear that made her pull her shoulders in. “What do Orcs even use for teething?”

“Sticks,” he answered without skipping a beat, and she turned to look at him in horror. “It was a joke, dummy,”

“I think our best bet will be rubber spoons,” she mumbled. “He’s gonna tear my boobs apart,”

“He better not- I’ll throw him away if he ruins ‘em, those are mine.” Nick declared, already tensed before she landed a sturdy elbow in his gut. 

By the time the line at last progressed and Nick had their own warm tortillas in arm, Callie couldn’t even sit without aching, and despite insisting she could whip up a quick dinner, he hushed her pressing and called in to their favorite Mandarin restaurant so their order was ready by the time they made the drive across town. 

When Callie accompanied him inside, the usual behind the counter greeted the regular, peculiar couple warmly, doting over her growing stomach and the proud smirk Nick carried until he was called out loudly on it. Their teasing was harmless, but when a few more gathered to poke fun at the difference in their sizes, Nick still turned a few shades darker while Callie held her flushed cheeks. 

Only when they promised they’d bring Leo in when he was born did they allow the couple to head out with the order and an extra side thrown in, both of them a little deflated after the whirlwind of an interaction. 

No longer did she snatch the keys from him, and instead reclined in the passenger seat with the aux cable in her control. Nick’s hand always rested at her thigh or stomach, sometimes chatting softly to Leo in Orkish when he pushed against his palm. 

She was slowly starting to pick up on words the more Nick rattled off around her, things like _mausan beauavausan_ ; my beauty. 

It made her heart sing every time he keened lovingly, praising Leo with _your kicks are so strong, my love_. It seemed that now he knew Leo was always listening, he couldn’t stop doting over him, sometimes asking if he’d know the sound of his voice when he was finally able to hold him.

She hid her teary eyed blubbering behind a chicken wing she snuck from the take-out bag, handing Nick one when he whined. 

A few more were munched on before they made it home, not even bothering to unpack their groceries before they sat at their table and dug in. 

Often through the meal, Callie looked down to her side, expecting Pucca’s head to rest in her lap. It still stung; when she didn’t come galloping at them when the door opened, it reminded them just how much she filled the house with warmth, and every time they passed the TV, they’d brush their fingers across the cherry wood box that held her ashes, her pawprint rested beside it. 

She snapped out of her trance, snorting when she caught sight of Nick struggling to stack green onions and chili flake garnish atop his wing. 

Whereas usually Nick was the one to mow through tray of wings and the sides of fried rice, Callie now dominated that title, cleaning them down to the bone before washing up and crawling into bed while Nick put the groceries away. 

Before he even made it into the room she was propped up against the footboard with her feet towards his pillow, ready to ask for a foot rub by the time he made it in. 

She wiggled her feet with a wide smile, waiting patiently as he handed off her giant water cup filled to the brim with ice and stripped down to his briefs, finding the Firestick before flopping into bed beside her. 

It was a struggle not to let his fingers trace up her smooth ankle, sometimes tapping the inside of her knee with his eyes glued to the TV. His nose was the only indicator he needed to know she was losing interest in her phone she had been scrolling through before massaged her feet, but now that his wide palms were cupping her toned calves and sliding up to her thigh, her eyes were wandering, and meeting his when he smirked. 

“Again?” she asked softly, her knees parting to reveal the peach, lace panties she’d slipped on that morning after he’d made her levitate off the bed.

He nodded slowly, the amber of his eyes blacking out when his pupils dilated. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, a low chuff sneaking in when her foot dragged over his lap, bumping his heavy dick swelling with life. 

“You’re a fucking tease,” he growled, stirring a smile from her. 

“How’re you even still attracted to me with this globe in the way?” she laughed as he rocked forward onto his knees to loom over her. 

“Cuz I put it in you,” he breathed, moaning when he slipped his tongue in her mouth. 

“You gotta take it easy on me this time,” she reminded huskily, her touch following his chiseled stomach into his briefs where he was already dripping with precum, a low groan meeting the soft squeeze of her hand. 

It took a few seconds to realize the heavy fall of steps wasn’t his heart beat thrumming in his ears as he left wet kisses across her chest, and his head lifted in time to spot the shadowed figure moving in the night through their patio. 

Nick shot up, the lust cleared and jumping off the bed to yank open the bedside table drawer in search of his gun. 

“What- what the fuck!” she exclaimed, scrambling to sit up. 

“Stay here,” he ordered, hastily stepping into his jeans again before darting down the hall and towards the back door through the laundry room. 

He moved the blinds aside, the gun’s safety off and held securely in his palms as he peered out. 

“What is it?”

Nick jumped, turning to glare at Callie. “I said stay there!”

“You left without saying anything!” 

“Just-” he exhaled, turning back to the door. 

She still squeezed her way in enough to look out beside him until he carefully nudged her back, but both of them froze when the figure stepped under the low light of the dying bulb outside. 

“Is… is that?” Callie cracked, stepping back when Nick unlocked the door.

“Call Kandomere,” he instructed, and stepped into the crisp night, his blood having already run cold upon sighting Tikka. 

She turned wobbling towards him, her cheeks sunken and clothes mangled, her hair matted and dirty. The lightning of her eyes still uneased him, and he kept a safe distance between them; he had no idea what mental state she was in or if the wands she’d run off with were still in her possession. 

It was just like the last time he’d seen her; completely unsure if she was real or just a figment of his imagination, but scenting the air brought the sickly sweet sickness that riddled her glossy skin, and he scowled. 

When she reached weakly into her jacket, he raised his gun instinctively, the maneuvers to get back to Callie before she blew them to pieces racing before is eyes. More than anything he wanted to run with Callie until he met MTF down the road; he couldn’t go through this shit again. 

What if she lunges and Carried him away, to some far place he couldn’t find his way home from again? 

Nick swallowed, doing his best to keep his aim true. 

But instead, she produced two silent wands that fell from her grasp and onto the concrete. 

She stared down at them as Nick looked between them, the frenzy rising in his body. 

“I’m Dismantled,” she finally spoke, her voice croaky. “I… the Bright I found, they… it’s gone,” she brought her hands into her chest, looking at Nick with glossy eyes. “Everything is gone,” she wept, shoulders starting to shake.

Nick took a half step back. 

“Everything- everything about me is dead,” she gasped. “Fero is dead and my home is gone-”

“Tikka,” Nick interjected, stifling her hiccups. “I told you to stay gone,”

Her eyes fluttered, tears racing down her dirty cheeks; where had she gone these two months to leave her in such disarray? 

“I know,” she rasped, nodding. “But I wanted to apologize,”

Nick’s brows furrowed. 

“The battle became yours when it never was,” she wavered, her face scrunching. “When he killed Fero, I just-”

“Tikka,” Nick raised his hands, shaking his head. “You can’t… there’s no fixing this,”

She stared at him, shaking like a leaf in the cold night. 

“What’s done is done but I cannot have you here! This shit you brought with you almost fucking killed us, Tikka!”

“I know! I just, I wanted to say I’m sorry,” she pleaded, stepping towards him. 

“And you said it, okay? But-” he exhaled, holding his head. The cold bite of the gun against his scalp was uncomfortable. “They’re gonna be here soon for you,”

“I know,” she smiled sadly, looking down at her fumbling hands. “I passed them walking up here,”

Nick rolled his eyes. 

_What fucking use they are_. 

“How is Daryl?” she asked, peeking at him. 

Nick sighed. “He’s not working anymore. He took an early pension,” 

“Is he okay though?”

“No, he’s not. We all live under MTF’s thumb and therapy doesn’t do shit, Tikka,” he snapped vehemently, and she retracted further into herself, her eyes averted. 

The distant wail of sirens started to float through the night, but Nick still remained vigilant and glancing at the wands across the ground. He wouldn’t simply go off her word; at any moment she could summon those fucking things and blow them apart. In his own home, where he’d thought they’d finally escaped the madness. 

He hoped to God that Callie was safely inside and not sticking her head out, but she was just as protective as he. 

With the sirens came a helicopter, thundering through the night as it approached, and when Tikka looked up to shield her eyes from the light and wind whipping her hair and clothing around, Nick backed up, the wands skidding across the concrete towards him. 

She looked at him again, her eyes filled with fright. 

Where just a couple months ago she was composed and ready to fight, she had gone back to the cowering girl they found all those years ago, looking desperately to her only protector, and above all the disdain he held for her, it broke his heart to see her looking for someone to help her again. 

The turmoil collected in his chest as the sirens blared, armored MTF officials shouting and running at her with modified guns until she had her hands above her head, sobbing under the blinding light of the helicopter. 

They rushed past Nick from the back door behind him, pushing Callie into his arms when he turned. 

Even as he bellowed at them, they only rushed Tikka, surrounding her with guns pointed and crosshairs covering her until she was kneeling and begging for mercy. 

A flash of blue brought Nick’s attention back to the door, and was a little taken-aback to see Kandomere walking out in less than formal wear this time, but still elegant as ever. 

“She got past your men again,” Nick yelled, but Kandomere shook his head. 

“His remains are scattered across the car,” he replied coolly, and walked on when Nick and Callie remained silent. 

Tikka met Kandomere’s metallic eyes as he approached her just as they’d cuffed and harnessed her, but something shifted in her. 

Her expression washed over, her body stilling under the chaos as she glared up at him, her pupils the size of pinheads. She yanked against her constraints, her nose wrinkling in a low snarl. 

Nick’s brows knit together; where had the misery gone? The fear that almost compelled him to stand before her in protection? She’d gone from prey to predator in the snap of a finger. 

It wasn’t clear at what point Kandomere had collected the wands, but they were now in his grasp, glowing softly, thrumming like the gentle pulse of a hummingbird's heart. It had never occurred to Nick that he might have been a Bright, but it made sense, really. Why deal in business you have no business dealing in?

“Ron naa il- lle,” Tikka hissed, but when one was pointed to her forehead, she stiffened. 

“They were never yours, either. _Rilinquo_ ,” Kandomere whispered ethereally, and all at once Tikka erupted with pained cries, the burning overtaking her form as the enchantment within her was forced out. 

Nick could’ve sworn he saw a glowing from behind her eyes and deep in her throat spark and then fizzle, but she thrashed too violently to be sure. 

When it had subsided, and left the dull throb across her muscles, she sobbed, her body folding over and remaining limp as they dragged her away through the backyard, the light of the helicopter following them. 

Callie’s eyes lingered on Kandomere while Nick followed Tikka to watch her be loaded into transport, but he came back in time to watch them deposit the wands into the two person cases, immediately ringing and pulsating in agitation when they were confined. 

Kandomere turned to look at them over the commotion still ringing through the neighborhood, neighbors standing outside their houses and even peering over the fence to see what was going on, but just as quickly as they had arrived, they were leaving, and with it the Bright that had been so elusive for so many years. 

Nick didn’t know what to say; should he ask if she was okay? Would it even matter after she’d clearly come here again with ill intent? 

There was a tense moment between them before Kandomere nodded tersely once, stepping past them to walk back through the house. 

Nick turned, further confused. 

After years of hunting her, was that really it? 

 

She glanced at her phone; it was about to be three and neither had been able to find any form of rest or relaxation.

Looking to Nick found him still staring up at the ceiling, just as calmly as when they’d first laid in bed after awkwardly moving about their own home after it had been searched and cleared.

Neither had spoken to one another after the chaos had passed, but she could sense the unrest. 

She rolled onto her side, gently running the back of her fingers against his cheek. He leaned into her touch, his eyes finally closing. 

“You’re upset,” she whispered, and he nodded with a long sigh. “You didn’t want them to take her?”

His eyes opened to search for the words, but it was a long beat of silence before he answered. 

“At first I felt bad about it, but she was lying again. There was a dead agent sitting in front of our house and we didn’t know it,” he murmured. “I can’t shake the feeling she’s going to pop back up again any minute,”

“You saw them take her,”

“I did, but she’s like a fucking phantom,” he grieved, running his hand down his face. 

“She won’t, she can’t. Check in on it tomorrow at work,” Callie moved closer, holding his face so he looked at her. “I don’t think she’s going to come back this time, baby,”

His face sorrowed. “What if she does? What if she keeps ruining everything?”

“She’s only an Elf now, you can shoot her,” she grinned, and he scoffed. The turmoil still swirled in his gorgeous eyes, even as she angled his face to pepper soft kisses across his cheek. She knew no amount of words would calm the dread; only time would free him of such misery. 

“Did my anxiety transfer to you? You’re usually my rock,” she teased softly. 

“It’s this little thing,” he grumbled, poking her belly. “Every time you’re out of my sight I feel like the earth is gonna swallow you up or a fucking Bright is gonna find you. We can’t even say we’re completely safe at home,”

She pursed her lips; the idea had at first only been a small, partial thought that she didn’t think Nick would be on board with, but the closer Leo’s arrival came and taking in the past history of this house, tonight might just have been the boost she needed to bring it up. 

“Let’s move,” 

Nick’s eyes flickered to hers. “Move?”

“Wouldn’t you feel better being somewhere that our past didn’t know about?” 

“You know I’ve thought about it before, honestly. My mom kind of planted the seed in my head a while back,” he confessed. 

“Oh yeah?”

He nodded, rolling on his side to face her. “When she’s not going on about Leo she’s asking how many more we’re gonna have, saying she has a few properties she wants to show me,”

Callie smiled. “Should we?”

Nick eyed her before leaning up on his elbow. “You wanna take that on?”

“I love it here, don’t get me wrong, but I also wanna raise Leo somewhere you weren’t almost killed and I wasn’t almost kidnapped,” she relayed, pulling his chin up when he looked down in guilt. “But I’m not doing it unless you’re with me. I go where you go,”

Nick grinned, cupping her cheek before he leaned in for a long kiss; a delicate one that didn’t need fervent hands or eager tongues. 

“You know if I tell my mom we wanna look at places she’s gonna expect more babies,” he chuckled against her mouth, and Callie shrugged. 

“Maybe if we lead her on she’ll give us a better deal,” she simpered, giggling when he dug his fingers into her side. “So you wanna look then?”

“Yeah, let’s do it. I could always use a bigger backyard,”

“Can we throw in a dance studio for me too?” she pouted. 

“Fuck it, let’s buy a mansion,” he boasted, his spirits lifting when she smiled at him. 

There was a drawn moment they simply looked at one another, somehow tangled and sleep starting to fill the void where apprehension once brimmed. The longer they maintained eye contact, the wider Callie’s smile grew, her shoulders drawing in. 

“What?” he chuckled. 

“Thinking of it all just makes me happy, we’re gonna buy a house together,” she beamed. 

“Have a baby soon,” he added.

“Babies,”

Nick’s brows perked up. “Now you’re on board with that?”

“I’ve told you from the beginning I want a bunch’a little Nick’s running around,” she cracked. 

“Maybe a little Callie, too,” he pouted, forever attached to the idea of having a little girl. 

“We need a big house then,” 

“Like I said, a mansion,” he reiterated, but a soft smack against his chest prompted him to pull her close, her head tucked under his chin after pressing a few hard kisses to her cheek. “I love you so much,”

“I love you more,” she nuzzled his collar. 

“We got way off topic again,”

“But do you feel better?”

Nick grinned to himself. “Yeah, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I told you there would be fluff_
> 
> Translations:  
> -"Dame más.": Gimme more
> 
> -"Leo? Leonardo Makar, do lat daggog alnej?": Leo? Leonardo Makar, do you hear me?  
> -"mausan liavavle ni": my little one
> 
> -"Ron naa il- lle": they are not yours


	16. Omens

Callie’s brows furrowed in bewilderment when Nick’s hand cupped beneath her fist to catch the muffin wrapper, quickly tossing it away before speeding back to help pull her sweater up her arms. 

“Why?” she only asked, blinking up at him in confusion while he went so far as to help pull her beanie down her cheeks. 

“You heard the doctor,” he snipped, not even bothering to shield his own scalp from the rain as he kept the umbrella clear over her and only half over his lumbering frame. 

“Rain isn’t pitocin,” she sassed, taking control of the handle to make sure he wasn’t pelted by the persistent rain. 

“I’m not taking any chances,” 

“You do realize that sex is what’ll make everything start moving, right?” she teased with a lopsided grin. Nick’s pointed ears twitched when the displeasure of such a realization rooted into his mind. 

“I guess we’ll have to cut back,”

“Oh shut up, like we could,” she smirked up at him. “You really wanna stop fucking like we did last night?” 

Nick flushed at the recollection of the evening; the way they were both left breathless, shouting each others names into the early AM hours. How she unwound the tight coil at his center, her loving gaze keeping him in suspension as she witnessed him unfold, smiling against his open mouth that howled her name. 

“Okay come back down to Earth,” she patted the back of his hand clutched in her hold a few times, giggling when he nodded languidly but clearly was still wandering through his thoughts as he sauntered on.

“We should try that position again,” he said below his breath after opening the passenger side door of the truck and helping her climb in. She snorted as she clicked her Chucks together to shake off the water and gravel. 

“That’s the _only_ position I can do anymore,” she scoffed, wiggling around until she found her spot with the seat reclined a little farther. 

Nick shrugged; _I don’t have a problem with that_.

When he’d rounded the truck and stuffed the umbrella in the side compartment, Callie was already setting her shoes in the back and grabbing for her heels and stockings with the heater on blast, the final touches of her outfit coming together before she went in for work. 

“You’re gonna snap an ankle on those things,” he mumbled, his repulsion towards the tortuous footwear evident in his tone. 

“Maybe, but _damn_ if they don’t make my fat legs look better,” she struggled to lift a heel onto the dash and show the definition of her calf. 

Nick neither agreed or disagreed; he knew better than to fall into that trap again. 

Her phone vibrated loudly in the center console, and she hissed a low curse trying to finish inching her stockings up her thigh and under her tight pencil skirt in time to grab the phone. 

“Hey Rose,” she exhaled, pinning the phone between her shoulder and cheek while she worked on the next leg. “Yeah we just left,” 

Nick listened quietly, twisting through the wet streets leading away from the clinic nestled behind luxurious townhomes and sprawling businesses with equally extravagant day goers cluttering the slick sidewalks. The glossy streets reminded him of the tune-up the truck needed, more urgently the changing of the tires it was due for. _Preferably before Leo joins us_. He glanced through the rearview mirror at the carseat still perched neatly behind them; he gripped the steering wheel tighter, containing a wide smile. 

“Three centimeters already,” Callie smiled, but it quickly vanished. “No- _centimeters_ , not meters,”

Nick snorted. 

“No they still say the 21st,” she grunted, finally finished and pulling her skirt down her thighs. With a hard exhale, she let her head bounce back against the seat and her legs spread and stretch to relieve the pressure on her lower stomach. Now Nick could finally snake his hand under her arm and caress her stomach, drumming where Leo kicked in protest of his mother squishing him. “I doubt it, he’s still head down. Yeah. Uh-huh. Today?” she looked at Nick, holding the phone against her chest. “Are we doing anything today?”

Nick shook his head, only half sure; _are we_? 

“Yeah I can but I need to go home first cuz there’s no way in hell I’m walking around in these heels,” Callie returned to her call, pulling her lipstick from her purse and pulling down the visor. “Yeah just pick me up from the house when you’re ready,” 

“I need more lotion!” Nick whispered, snapping his jaws when she shooed him away. 

“Okay pues I’ll see you then. Ah-huh, bye gurl bye.” Callie dropped the phone into her lap, finishing with the lip stain. “Rosie’s gonna take me to do the gift registry for the shower,”

“Oh get everything I wishlisted on Amazon, especially that bottle set,” Nick piped, glancing at her excitedly. 

“No one’s gonna buy us that, baby, it’s expensive,” she again reminded, and pouted compassionately when his spirits dropped a little bit. “He’s gonna be attached to my boob anyways,” 

Nick grumbled a little bit. “Add the sling then?”

“Of course,” she smiled, patting his molted hand. “That’s more doable than a fifty dollar bottle set,” 

He grumbled again. “You never know...”

“Uh-huh,” she teased, giggling when he dug his fingers into her belly. Once she’d finished the last touch-ups of her makeup and fluffing her hair around her shoulders, she could recline into the seat and relax the remainder of the drive across town through the winding hills, and listen to the rain pattering against the roof of the car with the radio drifting softly around them. 

Her eyes drifted down when Leo tapped insistently under her own palm, cracking the smallest of smiles when she followed the gentle nudges. 

“I can’t believe there’s only a month left,” she cooed, her thumb stroking the rough skin of his hand. 

“Mom told me the last month takes the longest to go by,” 

“Yeah my mom told me that too,” she agreed, watching Nick’s fingers roll when Leo spun. “God I’m only gonna get bigger,” 

“ _He’s_ gonna get bigger,” 

“And _I_ am gonna get chubbier,” 

“More ass to bite into,” Nick smiled, clicking his sharp teeth together a few times when Callie glared at him. 

“Lookin’ for a new spot, huh?”

“Always, but I’ll wait ‘til after we’re married. Bite into _the_ spot,” he explained smugly, his vague detailing making her eyes narrow. 

“Don’t know if I wanna marry knowing I’m _literally_ gonna be bitten on the ass for it,”

“No way out of it now- Orcs mate for life. This finger is mine,” he sang, her ring finger in his hold and wiggling her hand. “Gonna have my baby _and_ my last name,” he boasted, shoulders shimmying in the seat as he turned into the parking lot before the bank. 

“Fine, you can have all that as long as I get to swim in that police pension,” she countered cheekily, shoving her makeup pouches back into her purse. 

“ _Ha_ , have fun waiting another twenty years,” 

She smirked, her lips pursing as he grinned. “Deal. I’m off at 2,” she caved, leaning over the center console to meet his lips for a series of loving kisses. The crook of her hand held under his jaw, igniting a small chuff; getting him going before work was one of her favorite past times. 

“No heavy lifting,” he got in between. “Boss people around,”

“Like I need to be told that,” a final kiss was placed on his cheek, his hand rounding her stomach before she pushed the door open and slid down the seat. 

“I love you- don’t do anything strenuous!” He called, sticking his head out the window. 

“I love you too!” She smiled, waddling towards the entrance and thanking the security guard who opened the door for her. 

Nick shook his head, shifting the truck into reverse. “Stubborn brat.”

He only felt a _tad_ bit guilty stopping at a Taco Bell; it wasn’t only for him, but for Sergey too. It was his first day back after a bumpy recovery that had extended twice when the ‘burns’ across his chest didn’t heal as expected, but that itself was expected after being bludgeoned by a spell. Nothing heals right when magic is involved. 

Nick pulled up to the first window, digging through his wallet for cash when the worker at the window exclaimed. 

“Where’s your wife?” asked the stout older woman he’d met at the window nearly all of the times visiting this particular chain with Callie beside him. 

Her aged smile was kind, but the interaction still made Nick edgy. 

“At home waiting for the food,” he lied through a stiff smile. He’d once made the mistake of telling someone at work that Callie still worked so late into her unpredictable pregnancy, and he’d been dealt a harsh reprimand from an officer he barely knew, at that, scolding Nick about letting his lover work when he should’ve been bringing in enough money to support them both. 

Nick avoided that officer from then on; no longer would he acknowledge his presence when they were near. 

_Don’t tell me how to handle my life_ , he recalled wanting to shout. _Besides, Callie would fucking castrate me if I tried forcing her to stay home_. 

“Ah, such a good man going for his lady,” she admired, quickly finishing his purchase. “See you later than, ah?”

“Yeah- thank you!” Nick replied awkwardly, quickly collecting his card and rolling to the next window. He exhaled, hopeful the other worker at the next window didn’t recognize him. 

With the food collected and another awkward encounter avoided, he quickly exited the plaza to start his small trek across town, caving into his hunger and chowing down on a burrito before he made it halfway to Sergey’s. It was unfortunate that he’d be returning on such a gloomy day, but Nick was determined to make his transition back into their high-stress- and high harassment- job as smooth as possible, and starting the day with one of his favorite meals seemed to be a good start. 

Entering the Orc predominant neighborhood Sergey resided in didn’t bring Nick as much heat as it once did; he could shoulder a few glares if the majority of his interactions were kind. _Munguz_ carried a lighter air to it now, and he was thankful. Nick wanted his presence amongst the Orkish community to be neutral at best before Leo made his debut, and knowing the hardships halflings grew up with meant Orcs were his best bet at fitting in.

Nick sighed, bridling the troubling thoughts. _Worry about that when it comes_. 

By the time he parked neatly along the narrow street, he spotted Sergey standing in the doorway of his small cottage, his frown as telling as his slumped shoulders and holding a mug that steam danced from in the chilled afternoon. Before he exited the truck, he reached over to pop open his glove box and retrieve one of the invites Rosie had made for Callie’s shower Nick had been handing out very meticulously. 

Sergey watched Nick make his way across the street, his spirits admittedly lifting a little when he spotted the paper bag in hand. 

“Did you just wake up?” Nick grinned, and Sergey nodded. 

“Couldn’t sleep much last night,” he confessed, tilting the mug to watch the creamy tea swirl. 

Nick felt unsure of himself once he stood before his young partner. “You’re not ready to go back, are you?”

Sergey shrugged, looking back out across his yard. “S’not that. Just nervous,”

“I know the feeling,” Nick affirmed, handing off the food. 

“Aw, you remembered my order?” Sergey keened, and Nick’s eyes rolled, following him inside. 

It was a welcome relief to step into the warm home, the scent of the Orchid tea drifting through the home that was dimly lit and tidy. Dura decision to pursue homemaking had really tapped into her creative side, and upon observing how much he liked the colored walls and small decorative pieces, he considered asking her to help him with the make-over his home desperately needed. Neither him or Callie were very good at mixing and matching. 

“Ah, Nick! It’s good to see you!” Dura exclaimed, popping out from the kitchen and pattering over to him for a hug. 

As he leaned down to get his arms around her, he had to remind himself that even though Callie was growing fast, Orcs grew even faster during pregnancy. The poor girl was already waddling, her stomach popping out much farther than a human would expect at 11 weeks along. 

“How’re you feeling?” Nick pressed, holding her hands when she’d straightened back out. 

“I’m doing good, just trying to keep up with this little girl,” she smiled, holding her round stomach. 

Nick’s ears twitched. “You guys are having a girl?” he turned to Sergey, meeting his smug grin. Nick had brandished that same smile countless times before while going on and on about Leo, so he let him live it up. It was definitely something to be proud of. 

“Speaking of babies,” Nick remembered, pulling the invite from his back pocket and handing it to Dura. 

“Oh this is so cute!” Dura whined, her fingers tracing gently over the designs and raised stickers of the invite. “Callie wasn’t upset you chose an Orkish design?”

Nick shook his head. “She doesn’t like the whole ‘Leo lion’ thing,” 

“Yeah it’s kinda mayonnaise,” she teased, carefully pinning it up on the bulletin board above the corner that housed her working computer. “How’s she been doing?”

“Good, good- today is her last day at work,” 

Dura scoffed. “Just now going on leave, ah?”

“She gets restless easily,” Nick shrugged. 

“I’m surprised her little legs keep up carrying that belly around,” Sergey voiced, and Nick nodded in agreement. “How about you, old man? Ready to be a dad?”

“Just counting down the days at this point,” he responded calmly with his palms rubbing together, but beneath the surface he was containing an excitement that made him feel like he could run the diameter of the world twice. 

“When he’s screaming all night you’re gonna wanna go back and rethink those words,” Dura countered playfully. 

“I guess we’ll see then,” he bumped Sergey’s arm as he’d began to chow down on a taco. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he mumbled through a mouthful, his slides already on and moving past Nick towards Dura. 

She keened over Sergey adoringly, his thin face held in her hands and nodding at her persistent questioning while he rubbed the side of her stomach, eventually leaning in for a tight hug. Dura looked to be more reluctant about his departure than Sergey himself did, but that was expected. Callie had been the same way his first day back after his attack.

“Nauk-avurn votar avo avhiuk liavavle ni, ah?” she ordered gently, smoothing her hands across his head once more before exchanging a few kisses. 

“Jiak'll alwayuk nauk-avurn avo mausan girluk,” Sergey grinned, bringing forth a dazzling smile from Dura. 

Once more she hugged him, her arms tight around his neck and committing the moment to memory, more fearful than before that her husband wouldn’t return. 

“Keep an eye on him,” she told Nick once separating from Sergey and walking them to the door. 

“Won’t let him out of my sight.” He winked, patting her arm before following his partner back into the chilled afternoon. 

The officers hunched through the small onslaught of rain, already wishing they were in their own homes and avoiding the miserable weather when they climbed into the cold truck. 

“What if the rain is a bad omen?” Sergey mumbled, pulling out his next taco. 

“If rain was a bad omen I wouldn’t even be with Callie,” Nick argued, and although Sergey’s mouth opened many times to argue, he ultimately kept silent, thinking over his words critically. Surely he didn’t know the true meaning behind that, but if it distracted him from the dread he was surely feeling, Nick would keep quiet and let him work it out. 

“How’re you feeling?” 

“Ehh, I still get sore sometimes, muscle spasms. I hope we’re not expecting to chase anyone down today,”

“I’ll do the chasing, your aim is better anyways,” Nick cracked. 

“I’ll take the next chase,” he sighed. 

Nick glanced at him as he navigated the narrow road and rain. “What’s up?”

Sergey shook his head. “We can’t talk about it,”

_Ahh_. “Still have questions?”

“About a million,”

“You know, you can always go and request a meeting with Kandomere. We can’t openly talk about it but you can-” 

“I have. Four times,” he exhaled. “I keep getting rescheduled,” 

“Keep at it. MTF is worse than the IRS,” 

“I don’t know if they’ll even give me the answers I want. If they’re not even willing to talk then what’s the point,” he grumbled, nearly popping a sauce packet all over Nick’s truck as he angrily tore it with his sharp teeth. 

Nick ran his tongue over his clipped tusks as he pondered. _This could end badly_. “What do you wanna know?”

Sergey looked at him as he chewed, his hairless brows furrowing. “Huh?”

Nick nodded encouragingly, silently bolstering him. 

Sergey tucked his food away, turning his shoulders to better face Nick. 

“Why was she there?” he asked first, and Nick glanced at his rearview mirror, counting down the seconds until the sirens came up behind them. 

“She needed another Bright’s help to take down the one following her,” 

“You’re a Bright!?” he yelled, but Nick hushed him despite knowing no pedestrians or drivers could possibly hear them. 

So he shook his head, and when Sergey mouthed ‘Ward’ in question, his brilliant eyes widened. “He is!?” he hissed. 

“She couldn’t find him so she found me,” 

“How did she know you two?” he pressed, and Nick sighed, glancing at his mirrors again, but there was no flashes of red and blue trailing them. 

“Years ago there was a similar incident she was involved in, that’s all I can tell you about that, but, just like this time she dragged us into some shit,” Nick detailed sparsely, but Sergey didn’t seem to be too up in arms over the vagueness. 

“So me being there was completely coincidental?” Sergey mumbled sullenly, and Nick nodded. 

“No one was ever meant to know, not even Callie,” 

The younger Orc nodded, shifting back to face forward. They were approaching the precinct when Sergey huffed angrily, pulling Nick’s attention from the officer he gestured to at the front entrance. 

“Here I thought I was chosen to be a part of something cool and all it was was coincidence- fuck that,” he rattled off hotly, gathering his food before he zipped up his hoodie and pulled his hood over his head. “That’s bullshit,”

Nick snorted softly. “You saved people from an explosion, remember? That’s pretty cool,”

“Oh yeah I’m a badass now,” he chuffed, opening the door a little viciously. Nick stifled most of his chuckle as they made their way through the parking lot and into the building, and it was Nick’s first relief when most of the officers who passed Sergey welcomed him warmly. There was always the few who either turned cheek or made a remark under their breath, but it was easy to block those unwarranted comments and steer him towards the locker rooms. 

“That wasn’t what I was expecting,” Sergey admitted below his breath as they at last made it into the locker rooms. 

Nick still gave Daryl’s former locker a glance every time he passed it, but the heartache that was significant the first day he’d not been to work after his early retirement was gone, and he could now recall the good days they had together on shared routes. 

Nick opened his own, always fixing the photobooth strip that was surrounded by numerous photos of him and Callie, a few of Pucca and his parents, and a whole corner filled with only ultrasounds of Leo that he taped in order, from the very first wiggling blob of a heartbeat to the perfect cinnamon roll he already was. 

Now Sergey could tape up his own of… _wait a minute_. 

“Do you two have a name picked out?” Nick asked, bumping his arm. 

“Mariak,” Sergey grinned. “It means ‘my beloved’,”

Being that Sergey was normally such a goofy person even when he had Dura around, it bewildered Nick to some extent to see him so smitten over his little girl, but Nick was also sure that if anyone from work witnessed how he himself acted around Callie and often had full conversations with her stomach, they’d be shocked to see his usual stoic demeanor so… mushy.

“It already sounds like it suits her,” Nick clapped him on the back, grinning when Sergey beamed proudly.

Small conversation passed between the Orcs as they changed, and just as Nick’s kevlar vest had been loose upon returning from his recovery, so was Sergey’s, but the men’s attention was pulled from his fittings when a fellow officer walked behind them, snorting in the direction of their open lockers. 

“Is it part of clan law to have kids at the same time?” The heavier set officer mocked, walking by with his utility belt thrown over his shoulder. 

Nick was ready to ignore the remark like so many others he’d brushed off, but out of the corner of his eye he spotted Sergey spinning quickly, and Nick immediately recognized the same protective fury he’d been forced to learn how to harness early on. 

“Fuck you Andrews,” Sergey spat, Nick’s hand coming to his chest to bring him back a few steps. 

“Oh calm the fuck down you grunter, it was a fuckin’ joke,” Andrews laughed, as if the slur meant nothing on top of his first jab. 

Sergey pushed again, but Nick pushed harder. 

“Keep your head on your shoulders, Malinka,” he ordered below his breath. 

“They get to-”

“But they can use more against us than we can against them,” Nick said through a clenched jaw. 

Nick got it- he really did. Letting go of any kind of insult in his childs direction was like chewing glass, but even if this one time was taken care of, it wouldn’t stop the others increased efforts to bring them down if the Orcs were known to snitch. 

Sergey huffed unwillingly, pushing Nick’s hand away harshly to turn back to his locker. 

Nick glanced at Andrews, the men exchanging differing expressions that said all the words they needed, but just as Nick’s silent snarl was rebuked, so was Andrew’s priggish smirk. 

It was just another day Nick secretly wished Ward was still working. Even if they rarely worked side by side, having a human back-up meant he was able to snap back without fear of a full repercussion from the Chief. Now, he was Sergey’s safeguard; he couldn’t go jeopardizing either of them. 

They finished tacking on the last of their gear, but Sergey still slammed his locker heatedly once he’d grabbed his phone. 

“C’mon, we’re probably working Grand today,” Nick nudged his arm, and caught his brows perking up. “Putting assholes in cuffs always feels good.”

↠

A hard exhale puffed from her pursed lips, her elbow draped over her eyes and rocking in her office chair, but even being reclined and keeping movement constant didn’t completely appease the little one favoring one side of her hips to lean on. 

No matter how she pushed back or resorted to kicking her heels off under her desk to walk circles in her office, Leo did his best to stand straight and break free of his ever shrinking home no matter how he tossed his mother about. 

A particular hard jab against her bladder stirred a grunt, her knees pinching and jerking upwards. 

“C’mon Leo, harass me at home but not here,” she lamented, smirking when he tapped gently under her rubbing hand. 

“Is he using your insides as a trampoline?” came Tam’s voice, and she unveiled her eyes to find her peeking over her cubby. 

“He’s bungee jumping with his umbilical cord,” Callie smiled weakly, her head dropping back as Tam laughed. 

“You up for lunch? I brought wings for everyone,” her boss smiled coyly, but the immediate growl in Callie’s stomach banished the curiosity as to why she’d gone out of her way to buy such a luxurious lunch for everyone. 

“I’m always in the mood for wings, c’mon now,” Callie sassed, graciously accepting Tam’s hands when she aided in getting Callie standing. 

“Maybe it’ll get that little boy settled down,” 

“He only stops when _he’s_ tired,” Callie groaned, again accepting Tam’s elbow as they walked across the polished marble floors to the break room. A small trip through the branch couldn’t go without someone commenting on her size, always asking how close she was to popping. At first watching their faces shift between surprise then either disgust or amazement when it was revealed she wasn’t as far along as people assumed was funny, but now it just annoyed her. People became bolder the bigger she got, it seemed. 

Maybe they assumed she wouldn’t try swinging in her condition if they kept egging her on…

“My branch isn’t gonna run as smoothly without you here,” Tam grieved, the girls taking a turn down the hall to the break room. 

“I bet you’ll like the replacement more than me, but if any of you ruin how streamlined I have those orders now I swear I’ll hunt you,” Callie threatened. 

She thought it odd when Tam stepped before her to grab for the doorknob, and eyed her suspiciously once stepping in, but the loud shouting from the many co-workers stood behind a table with assorted foods and a small cake brought her hands to her cheeks, stifling her wide smile as they cheered and clapped for her. 

The glimmering banner that read ‘baby boy’ stretched across the narrow room said all she needed to know before spotting the gifts stacked atop another table, and Tam walked her in, everyone giving Callie a hug and wishing her best during her last day of work before maternity leave. The silver and gold decorations brought the usually drab breakroom to life, as well as the clammer that went on inside as she made her rounds, thanking every person who found the time to help with the surprise. 

Curious hands found their way to her stomach, most of them knowing how active of a kicker Leo was. Plenty had seen her wince through presentations or conversations when he’d act particularly vivacious, and plenty had also helped her waddle across the building when Leo was ruthless. 

Now, they had a chance to feel the calmer kicks and somersaults, most of the women stacking their hands and blubbering when they witnessed first hand how reactive he was to small taps and pokes. 

But the more the hands piled on, the more Callie wanted to push them away; she could handle a few, but the insistent questions from every direction and clamor all around was making her fatigued, and sweat start to collect at her hairline. 

“You look like you’re ready to pop right now!” Lupe, one of the new girls Callie was still warming up to exclaimed as she came up to hold her stomach a little aggressively. Her unusually long, square tipped nails always bothered her in addition to the tacky blue eyeshadow she caked on, but even if the girl was awkward and didn’t know boundaries, she was sweet and a good worker. 

Callie laughed flatly. “Still have a month left,” 

“Oh I’m sure you’ll go before then, are we doing bets? Who’s holding bets?” she turned to announce, running off to harass someone about it. 

Callie shook her head, moving to a chair she could easily recline into. 

“You okay hun?” Ellie came up next. They’d both been hired the same day those years ago and had excelled in different positions, but through all the competition, they’d had remained close. Ellie was also one of the few at the branch who had a good head on her shoulders and kept her nose out of other people's business, something that was hard to do in a building full of young adults that gossiped like mad. 

“It’s just a lot,” Callie said lowly, fanning her warm cheeks. 

“Do you want me to make everyone leave?”

“Nah, I’m hidden in the corner back here. I just need a minute,” Callie grinned, grabbing a cold water from the bucket beside her. 

“Hopefully they give you a few minutes before the next wave comes.” 

Callie scoffed, downing the cold water before fixing her camisole under her thick sweater. Another long breath, and she situated deeper into the stiff chair, holding her stomach protectively when someone moved to closely and she thought they were going to lean in for a touch. 

Now that Leo was settling down, it made her reluctant to get up and interact with the people who had spent time and money on throwing this, but finally having a moment of peace in her own body made her aware to how tired she was. On top of restlessness, her son was just as restless, often keeping her up at night coupled with the heartburn and braxton hicks. When she figured no one was looking, she let her head rest back against the wall, her hand tracing across her belly where she felt one final swirl before probably falling into a nap. 

 

_“Cal!? Callie!?” she’d heard him yell, and tensed with a hidden, beaming smile when he came charging back into the room, his footing nearly lost as he jumped onto their bed._

_“You’re pregnant? Is this yours? This is yours?” he exclaimed, pulling the blanket away._

_“It’s been sitting there since we got home!” she laughed, squealing when he shouted and jumped, quickly pulling her into a bone crushing hug._

_“Oh baby,” he wept, holding her face to kiss her repeatedly. “I’m so proud of you-” another kiss, “Oh my god,” he went on, burying his face against her neck when he wrapped his brawny arms around her waist, keeping her tight against his chest. “Oh I can smell it!” he sobbed, taking deep inhales past the stuffiness of his nose._

_She wiped her teary eyes behind him, smiling against his mouth when he chanted thanks in Orkish, holding her face between his big hands._

_“When did you take it?” he asked, sitting back so he could lean farther down to press his face to her flat stomach._

_“At work,” she sniffled, holding his shoulders when he pulled her into his lap. She kissed the top of his head, embracing around his neck. With his cheek against her chest, he breathed deeply again and again, noticing the small differences of her scent this time around._

_He continued to squeeze her in tight hugs and kisses, telling her how amazing she was, how proud he was; that this one was going to be their miracle._

_“What if it happens again?” she asked quietly, as if saying it too loudly would determine this baby’s fate._

_“It won’t. This one is yours,” he told her firmly, holding her head. “You’re gonna hold this one and watch it grow. I can see it in you already, baby. I think your body knows that this is it,” Nick told her sincerely, his thumbs wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheek._

_She placed her hands over his, nodding with her eyes closed and their foreheads touching. “I’m really excited,” she confessed silently, smiling when Nick’s own gleamed up at her._

_“Good, stay excited,” he pressed, kissing her again._

_“What if-”_

_“No what if’s this time. We go with hope this time, okay? No more being cautious. It’s not good for you,” he pleaded, letting his breath go when she nodded hesitantly._

_“I’ll try,”_

_The kiss he gave her was tender, and careful. It was a lot to ask her to be optimistic when she’d only been dealt unfair hands thus far, and he wanted to remind her that with every step or bump, he’d be there, shouldering the same struggles as best as he could. But even though he could feel the slight tension in her frame, he could also feel how much she bared to him, and in turn how much she trusted his words._

_“We’re gonna have a baby,” she said softly, her dazzling smile filling him with warmth._

_“We’re gonna have a baby!” He shouted, tackling her back onto the mattress and smothering her until she laughed._

 

The moment often came to her when she’d stare down at her size, always amazed at how much time had flown by and how little she worried for Leo’s passing now, but the memory had a way of bringing her back to herself. In moments where she felt unsure, or anxious- often when she wondered if she was ready for this new step in life, it reminded her that no matter the crowds or opinions around them, it was her and Nick. They’d jumped into parenthood hand in hand, and sometimes they looked at one another without a clue of what came next, but she was thankful he was there to be scared with.

No one else fought like they had to the point they were now or knew their unborn son like they did. Nick could tell if Leo was close to napping by the temper of his kicks, and if he talked long enough, he could seemingly hypnotize him into peace. 

_This one is yours_. 

Callie grinned against the palm of her hand. 

_He’s mine_. 

“Callie!” 

Her head shot up, finding Tam motioning in her direction. “C’mon, we have games!” 

The self indulgent moment was comfortably tucked away, and she stood to join her co-workers at the tables just as they’d started pulling out rolls of toilet paper. 

↠

“Boy, seven arrests in one day!” Nick exclaimed, slapping Sergey’s palm forcefully after they’d stepped from the cruiser.

“Ah it’s just luck,” he brushed off, grabbing the latest arrest from the back seat. The middle aged woman tugged against his strong hold, but otherwise kept her blonde head bowed down in shame. 

“Luck is finding dope in the trunk. All of this,” Nick shook the impressive pile of paperwork. “Is pure instinct. This is impressive for your first day back,” 

“I didn’t think I’d jump at chasing someone,” 

“ _And some tackling too, apparently_ ,” Nick mumbled in Orkish, motioning towards the disheveled nature of the girl, more notably the deep scratches covering her arms after she’d been chased into some thicket.

“ _I have energy I can’t take out on Dura anymore_ ,” he intoned, and Nick scoffed. 

“ _I hear that_ ,” he sighed in return, the pair entering the precinct. They were about to take a hard left to intakes when a flash of blue caught Nick’s eye, and he stopped Sergey. 

Pointing down the hall, they both spotted Kandomere speaking to one of the detectives that had been called in from another state to help deal with a recent increase in dragon slayings that were out of season. As usual, the elf was calm and collected, and as usual, didn’t acknowledge the Orcs existence despite meeting their curious gazes. 

“Now’s your chance,” Nick murmured. 

“I have this,” Sergey muttered, but Nick quickly took hold of her cuffs, jerking his chin in Kandomere’s direction. 

“The worst that can happen is you leave with the same answers you had before,” 

Sergey exhaled, his hands flat against his chest. “He makes me nervous,” 

“If you give him back the attitude it makes it easier to deal with,” Nick advised, shrugging when he eyed him dubiously. Sergey stared a moment longer before squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest. 

“You sure you don’t mind?” 

“Go for it.”

It was slow, but Sergey still headed down the hall with confidence in his frame, waiting patiently until Kandomere had finished his conversation before grabbing his attention. Nick couldn’t help but linger even as the woman in his hands commented on their stalling, waiting until Sergey was following the elf down the hall and turning to give him a thumbs up. 

Nick released his breath, finally directing the woman to the back of the precinct to be processed, but as he walked, he came to a stunning realization. 

Watching Sergey walk up to Kandomere had filled him with such anxiety that he was certain if the young Orc had been berated before the men and women surrounding them, he would’ve stepped in and shielded him from the lashing. Somewhere along the line, Nick had become fiercely protective of his partner, even willing to go as far as saying he was the younger sibling he’d secretly always wanted. 

He already found himself wanting to smack him upside the head when he made bold strokes that would land them in hot water, and the two would often fall into near wrestling matches when either of their tempers flared, but it was also nice talking to someone who was on his side of the daily battles. 

Someone who could identify with his struggles on a more relatable level. Venting to Callie or Ward always lessened the heartache, but knowing Sergey went home sometimes feeling the same weight on his shoulders didn’t make him feel better, but brought him to feeling content in his decision to become a cop. After years of battling hate and doubt, it was good to know someone else was as dumb as him to pursue such a dream. 

Nick chuffed, startling the woman before him. 

It _could_ be his paternal instincts kicking in and asserting themselves over the people he cared for. 

Either way. It seemed that Nick had taken Sergey under his wing in every sense, yet it made him prideful. He liked being able to share his knowledge and wisdom in hopes it would improve his experience. 

_Assuming I could keep him from being blown away by a Bright_. 

 

A rogue hand dipped into his pile of potato chips smothered in Tapatío, but before Nick could swing, Sergey plopped down before him with the chips crunching in his mouth. 

“I keep forgetting to tell Dura to get me this,” Sergey groaned, snatching another chip despite Nick flicking his hand. 

“How’d it go?” he inquired, bringing his late lunch closer to himself. 

He could see the words processing in his eyes as Sergey opened his own, shrugging or scowling, eventually saying, “He really does have an attitude,’

Nick chuckled. “Told you,”

“I got my answers though. Now I can sleep knowing she won’t show up randomly,”

Nick’s brows furrowed. “He told you where she is?”

He nodded, opening his hearty chicken soup. “He didn’t tell you?”

“I never asked, actually,” Nick mumbled, leaning back in the small cafeteria chair. “Where is she?”

“Kamishak Bay,” he said before biting into his dipped crackers. 

Nick blinked away the disbelief before sitting forward, his voice dropping a few octaves when he asked, “Kamishak actually exists?”

“Apparently,” 

“They have like, Minotaurs there!” Nick hissed, his eyes wide with wonder, but Sergey snorted. 

“Minotaurs don’t exist, dumbass,”

“Neither did Kamishak until fifteen seconds ago,”

Sergey opened his mouth to protest, but the more he thought it over, the more likely that all the creatures rumored to not exist suddenly held great possibility of roaming the Earth, and he matched Nick’s stance in leaning over their food before whispering, “I’ve always sworn I saw a Griffin once,”

That was when Nick thought maybe it was a little far-fetched to think they were housing creatures. 

“Either way,” he went back to arranging his food. “Why take her there, though? She was dismantled,”

“Where else would they take her?”

Nick poked his chicken and rice, eventually shrugging. “Well I hope they threw away the key after locking her in.”

↠

A jaw stretching yawn Callie didn’t bother to cover went largely unnoticed by the account holders in line, but there was always that one that eyed her upon seeing someone yawn like a horse. She could really give two shits; after an extended lunch and keeping up with games and people, she wanted to nap for a full day, and the last hour of work had dragged on and on. 

So had Leo’s insistent kicking, _right_ against her bladder.

She didn’t make it five minutes into the final hour before texting Nick to come take her home early, and once she spotted the cruiser pulling up outside, she eagerly placed the ‘closed’ placard on her counter, catching the displeased sigh from an older woman who’d admittedly been waiting in line longer than anyone should, but once spotting Callie’s obvious condition after she slid down her chair and waddled into view, sympathy flickered across the woman’s hardened brows before she looked away stubbornly. 

“You need help taking the bags out?” Tam asked over her office wall once Callie had started gathering the few filled to the brim with leftovers and various gifts. 

“Nah it’s okay,” she grunted while standing upright with the bags in hand and purse over her shoulder. “Nick’ll be in here in a sec,”

“Wait wait-” Tam rushed around the wall, outstretching her short arms. 

Callie frowned, placing the bags down to reach over her belly and embrace her boss tightly. 

“My branch is gonna crumble without you here,” Tam greived, but Callie giggled. “Promise you’ll bring Leo in when he’s born?”

“I promise,” Callie smiled, giving her a final squeeze. They parted in time for a few more co-workers that had seen Nick come in to bid Callie a temporary goodbye. She could excuse the gentle belly pats this time as they in turn wished Leo best wishes, and in addition asked to see the little one once he made his debut. 

Many goodbyes and promises later, Callie had her bags in hand and was waddling back to the cubby she had been set behind to grab her sweater when some rather peculiar conversation floated her way, and looked over to the two new girls stood by the fax machine behind the counter, staring out into the lobby with hungry eyes.

“No girl, I’ve seen him here before!”

“Have you talked to him?”

“He’s always working, I don’t wanna bother him,” the curly haired brunette whined, peaking over her shoulder. Callie followed her eyes, and nearly choked when it lead to Nick handing out stickers to a small mob of children. 

Her brows pinched, thinking they must have been talking about someone else. 

“You freak, you like Orcs?”

Callie scoffed under her breath. _Nevermind_. 

“He’s mad cute bitch, don’t deny it!” She looked over her shoulder again, as if trying to catch Nick’s attention by staring long enough. 

Callie’s eyes narrowed in thought as she pulled her sweater on; had she really gone without making it known that that cute cop was _her_ cute cop? The very one that had planted this little boy in her belly? _During the entire two weeks they’d started working there!?_

“I’m gonna talk to him,” the brunette decided with unsteady confidence, tugging on the shoulders of her cardigan. “I don’t see a ring on his finger, either,” she winked, squealing when the other girl did. 

_Okay, that’s enough_. 

Although it would’ve been entertaining to see her waltz up to Nick on her cheap heels and try to woo him with her caked lashes, the territorial side of Callie was irked, and had she not been so exhausted, she might’ve had the energy to chew her out. This matter at hand was rearing its ugly face far too often to keep letting it slide.

“Go go, he’s free!” her co-worker encouraged, pushing the brunette towards the end of the counter. 

“I can talk to him for you,” Callie smiled without even apologizing for eavesdropping, but the girls sparkling eyes only spelled excitement. 

“Really!? You know him?” she beamed, shimmying her shoulders to spread her camisole a little farther. 

Callie had to withhold rolling her eyes. “Yeah! He’s my baby daddy,” 

The smile weakened, and the confusion across their faces almost stirred a hard snort, but before either could ask if she was serious, she was gathering her bags to click across the marble lobby. 

She knew their eyes were following her, and upon walking up to Nick and seeing that his eyes although covered by his Clubmasters were only on her, and those lips curling into a toothy grin were about to meet hers really tempted her to pull him down for a searing liplock, but Callie reminded herself that the quick yet loving peck he left on her mouth coupled with his hand holding her face spoke louder than causing a commotion. 

“What’s all this?” he asked, visibly scenting the air when the aroma of wings wafted upwards. 

“Mini baby shower, _and_ ,” Callie stepped closer, pretending to struggle in handing over another bag. “The brunette behind the counter wants to get at you,”

Nick looked behind her, witnessing the girl fumbling to look occupied with anything else, and his brows flattened in mild disgust. “Good thing I only like strippers,”

Callie punched his chest, her knuckles cracking against his vest before they made their way towards the doors. She didn’t bother looking back, but didn’t care if they were still watching, even with Nick’s hand placed on her lower back and opening the heavy glass door for her. Maybe they’d ask around, and maybe she’d gain another enemy, but something she’d come to learn dating and now bearing the child of an Orc, is learning how to stand her ground like them. 

 

“You’re coming in?” she asked when he too exited the cruiser with the gifts in hand. 

“For a quick bite of these wings,” he grinned, jogging to the other side of the car to offer an elbow. When she grabbed ahold, she couldn’t resist squeezing his rock hard biceps that the uniform was becoming increasingly snug over. She grinned knowing her co-workers had admired him from afar, and knowing she could run her hands across his chiseled body at any moment had her blood racing. 

“Tryin’ to get a feel of these guns?” Nick teased, tensing his arm so she’d titter.

“ _Si_ , do it again _papi_ ,” she whined in exaggeration, laughing louder when he tried to pull away from the awful pet name. 

“Get your cute ass inside,” he ordered playfully. 

 

“Okay ready?”

“Ready,” he said around a wing, holding his phone up with the camera open. 

Callie turned with a yellow onesie striped with dark blue lines laying over her stomach, a blue beanie to match rested under her bust. “This is my favorite,”

“That’s the one,” Nick smiled, clicking a few pictures worth as she spun in various poses. 

“Right!? I saw it and thought the same thing,” she whined lovingly, her hands over the onesie and swaying. 

Nick grinned as he chewed, watching her look down at her stomach and rub her hands over the outfit, eventually sliding it up over her chest. “I can’t believe I get to hold him one day,” she smiled. 

“Soon, not one day,” he corrected, grabbing for another wing as she held the clothing up one last time to gaze at it. Carefully she folded it away into a separate bag from the other gifts littered about the kitchen counter. 

Turning his wrist to glance at his watch, he sighed. “I gotta get back,” he groaned. 

“Yeah?” she glanced over her shoulder. “Rosie is gonna be here soon,” 

“At least you can knock some stuff off the registry,”

She chuckled. “Yeah that’s true,” 

His classic pout made her giggle once she finished organizing the bags, lifting her arms until he stepped into her hug. Even with the heavy vest and belt across his body she snuggled tight against him, tilting her face up. 

“I want you to come with,” she groaned, her jaw held in his hand as he peppered her with sweet kisses. 

“Me too,” another smooch, “but I gotta go make more ladies swoon,”

A brow kicked up as she gazed up at him. “Getting a big head now?”

“It was a joke,” he grumbled, reluctant to unwrap from her warm embrace. 

“You know it happens a lot more than you think,”

Nick scoffed. “Quit fibbin’,”

“I’m not! Do you know how often I hear girls talking about you? Looking at all this muscle?” her hands added point by slapping his ass, but he only snorted. “I can’t stand the way they look at you,”

Now Nick’s brow kicked up, the beginnings of a smirk creeping across his mouth.

“It’s not funny!” she exclaimed, leaning back enough to slap her hand against his chest. 

“Do you get jealous?” he dared asking, smiling when her big eyes narrowed. 

“I do,” she admitted lowly. 

“You know I don’t look at anyone else,” he devoted softly against her lips before placing another kiss there. “I don’t even notice it,”

“I do. They can fuck off and get their own cop,” she blistered, the temper of her eyes rising as she tugged on his hips possessively. His mouth sealed over hers, a low moan hatching in her throat as his wide palms smoothed up her curved spine, his fingertips finding her hot skin as he made it up across her shoulder blades. 

“Too bad humans can’t smell who you’ve fucked,” he whispered against her jaw, pressing his face flat against her neck when he caught the first hint of her arousal soaking through her panties. 

“Too bad I can’t fuck you in the middle of a crowd when I see someone staring,” 

Nick laughed. “Welcome to my world,”

“You can fuck me right now?” she breathed, arching back to find his face. “Fuck me so they know who I belong to,”

His eyes fluttered, a searing flush firing up his body. She was so unbelievably sexy and didn’t even know it. 

A short gasp tumbled from her lips when he lifted her onto the countertop, reaching for the velcro on his sides but stopping when she grabbed for his hands. 

“Keep it on,” she smiled, bringing his lips to hers. “Lemmee fuck my man in uniform,”

Nick whined, relieved he didn’t have to waste any time in stripping off the gear across his body, and quickly worked on his belt and pants as she wiggled side to side to pull her tight skirt up, all the while continuing to kiss him hurriedly. 

His open mouth found her slender neck when his heavy dick fell into her grasp, pulling her closer to the edge of the counter and poking blindly until his thick head pushed between her slick lips. 

The sweet burning of his girth always made her head roll back, a long sigh billowing out as he buried himself deep in her pussy. Her fingers hooked over the collar of his vest, clinging to him desperately as he made long, slow passes in and out, his forehead against her shoulder so he could see her juices shimmering across his cock. 

“Is’so good,” he slurred, the heavy hands that had been on her hips moving roughly up to the crook of her spine when she bowed backwards, her heels hooking the cabinets below them and knees spreading farther. 

Callie sang before him, jaw hung and gripping the hand that had grasped the collar of her camisole for better leverage when his hips started rutting harshly against her. 

She smiled when noticing how concentrated he was on where they came together, the gear across his body doing nothing to hinder his rocking hips or fervent hands wandering across her form. 

All that mattered was the slick heat engulfing him, and the way she whimpered his name and reached down to gently touch where he entered.

“Harder, Jakoby,” she gasped, and his dilated eyes shot to hers. 

“What?” he breathed. 

“I said fuck me harder, Officer Jakoby,” she ground out, using her heels to pull him closer. 

She saw the feral shift in his eyes before she was suddenly being dragged off the counter and spun, his big hands pulling the skirt farther up her hips. 

It took only moments to find her center again and squeeze in, his groin pressed tight against her ass. Callie moaned, pressing her ass tighter against him. She wanted him deep; she wanted to cry out every time he slammed in. 

And she did. He fired into her with an iron grip at her hips, the head of his dick shooting delicious shocks high into her gut and making her eyes roll back. 

A choked cry forced it’s way past her clenched jaw, her elbows landing on the countertop. The dizzying pleasure made her knees weak, but she was sure even if she went limp that Nick would hold her in a dangle and still finish. 

She wouldn’t mind, of course. 

A burning slap to her ass cheek made her bow, her eyes pinching shut. A thick handful of her hair craned her neck, a louder cry ringing off the walls.

“Say it again,” Nick groused into her ear, his voice shaking with his hard thrusts. 

“Fuck me harder, Officer-” she strangled, crying out when his foot pushed at her inner ankle and spread her thighs farther. 

She could hear the keys to his belt jingling, the gear clicking and shifting; she considered reaching back to touch his gun, but when a brilliant fire started to grow in her groin, her breaths started to come in pants. 

“Nick- I’m gonna cum-” she gasped, reaching back blindly, but her wrist was snatched and held against her lower back, a loud growl following from Nick as he savored the way his impacts shot up her body, relishing in how her moans came forth in cries and whimpers. 

His girl had kept a dirty secret from him after all this time, and her body was alive under his touch. Heaving, begging, writhing- he drank it all in, and when her pussy started to tighten around his cock, he leaned his head back, slowing to long strokes. 

Her muffled words confirming her climax barely floated to his ears as he basked in the pulses, massaging every inch he hid inside and now gripping her sides hard enough to make her cry out when it was enough to send him over the edge. He still carried on with the slow strokes, milking himself into her tight center, their juices mingling and dripping from her flushed cunt onto the tile floors. 

He sang her name repeatedly, his stomach stiff from clenching and thighs shaking the longer he forced himself to stay buried inside her. 

Nick’s eyes peeled open to look down at the way he slipped from her slowly, his wet dick falling heavy from her filled hole. 

He leaned over to kiss her shoulder, leaning onto the counter when she turned her head lazily to kiss him, her dark tresses tangled before her face. The two panted as he rested over her, his face pressed against the back of her neck and his dick pressed against her folds as they both came floating back down to earth. 

“There’s so much,” she whimpered, looking down at the mess between their feet. 

“I’m sorry,” he slurred, pushing off the counter and stiffly standing upright. 

She was pushing her skirt down her hips by the time he sauntered from the kitchen and towards the bathroom, the gear across his body heavier than before. 

Callie held her stomach as she went about cleaning the mess they’d made, but never before had she wanted more than to just flop onto her bed and sleep, even with Nick’s load still inside her. Doggy always took it out of her; in that position, he found the deepest her pussy stretched and filled it completely, sometimes finding it’s end if she were positioned just right. 

She slapped the used wipe into the trash and leaned against the counter, her stomach knotting uncomfortably. 

“Are you okay?” Nick asked with concern, holding her sides when he came back up behind her. 

“I think you pressed my labor button,” 

“WHAT!?” Nick shouted, his hands retracting and spinning her by the shoulders. 

Callie giggled. “I’m joking,” she grinned, watching the color return to his face. “That was just a hard session,”

“I did what you asked,” he said bashfully, still a little lightheaded from that sudden rush of panic. 

“I know baby, but he-” she jabbed her finger in Leo’s direction. “Is mad he got thrown around,”

Nick snorted, imagining how jostled Leo really might’ve been during _that_. “Are you gonna be okay going out?” 

“Oh yeah. If I have to I’ll use one of those scooters,” she smiled with an eye closed as their son kicked angrily into her ribs. 

“Just be careful. I gotta bounce,” he leaned down to bless her lips with a few soft kisses, his hand cupping under her jaw. 

“Be safe,” she frowned, looping her arms around his waist one more time for a tight hug. 

“Always am.” He said into her hair, bending over to kiss her stomach and mumble to Leo before grabbing his sunglasses and phone to leave. They said their I love you’s softly to one another at the door, a final kiss passing before he skipped down the porch and to the cruiser parked in the driveway. 

She lingered at the door until he was on the street, smiling when he chirped the sirens and flashed the lights before driving away. 

“Oh God oh God oh God.” Callie spun to race down the hall towards the bathroom, her bladder near exploding. 

 

Callie let out an animalistic noise as she struggled out of Rosie’s sedan, her back stiff and hips sore.

“Add a belly band to the list,” Rosie had jogged around her car to help straighten Callie up. 

“It’s going at the top,” she winced. 

The two were slow going across the wet parking lot, but walking was easier than standing for extended periods which Callie quickly found herself in when the woman behind the counter proved she shouldn’t even be able to breathe and blink at the same time let alone work at Target. A sour beginning to a night they’d both been looking forward to, but after two more associates chased off the dense worker, Callie had a scanner in hand and a growing grin as she made her way deeper into the store. 

“Thank you, next,” she sang after scanning a few nursing bras with Rosie beside and sharing sage advice she’d accumulated over the years. 

It amazed Callie just how much went into pregnancy _aftercare_ ; spandex bands that squeezed muscles back into shape, the Dermaplast that would help ease the burning after pushing Leo out- even panty liners! 

“You’ll never sneeze without peeing a little ever again,” Rosie explained, taking the upper hand in scanning the packs multiple times. “Always cross your legs,”

She followed her older sister a little dispondantly after that. _Maybe a c-section wouldn’t be the worst_ … 

Rosie glanced back when her fawning over a baby blanket set went unanswered, finding Callie looking down at her stomach. 

“No, a c-section wouldn’t be better,” she guessed, and Callie looked at her skeptically. 

“How-”

“Cuz I thought the same thing, now c’mere, look,” she jerked her head in the direction of the blankets, pleased when quite the handful were scanned. 

“I’m not a fan of the blue,” Callie mumbled as she skimmed through what they’d selected so far. 

“It’s impossible to avoid though,”

“Yeah I guess,” 

Rosie was running her hand over a luxurious velvet sweater when a particularly sour topic came forth, chewing her lip in hesitation before deciding to speak on it. “Trish wants to help with the baby shower,”

She’d expected Callie to brush that off rather quickly, but not the genuine holler of laughter she let out, a hand on her chest as she leaned back into the whooping. 

“That amusing, huh?”

“C’mon, you know she’s just doing it to stick her nose in my business so she has more shit to talk,” Callie rolled her eyes, scanning the small sweater. 

“Hasn’t done much of that lately, actually,”

“But when I asked to see Yare she _had_ to call dad and cry that I was the one out of line, right?” she looked back, her lips in a flat line and eyes wide in wait. 

Rosie tried to fight the facts, but in the end, she settled with, “Yeahhh,”

“I fought years to get to this point and I’m not gonna let her ruin it, Rose- I don’t care how upset it makes everyone,” Callie scanned clothes angrily, her arm snapping with every barcode inputted. 

“I get that but-”

“No buts! Everytime I miscarried she found some way to pin the blame on me _just_ when I’d start to convince myself there was _nothing_ I could do to stop it from happening,” Callie snapped, the old, bitter emotions crawling out from the closet she’d stuffed them into with her skeletons. “I would never blame what happened with Michael on her but if you show any sign of weakness around her, she attacks. Fuck that noise,” 

Rosie nodded, following silently behind as Callie clicked the scanner vehemently over random objects whose purpose in raising a baby was unknown, but she could barely see past the fresh, stinging tears brimming in her eyes. 

“For three years I tried to have what you two could do in your sleep and when it happened, all she said was ‘was that so hard’?” Callie looked back at Rosie whose brows were furrowed in horror. 

“She said that?” she hissed, grabbing Callie’s arm when she tried to turn away. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What’s another knife in the back?” she murmured, wiping her eyes quickly. 

“Ay chaparrita,” Rosie keened, pulling Callie to her side and resting her cheek against her head as she composed herself, the tears wiped away on Nick’s thermal she’d borrowed. A few sniffles later and she was stepping away, running her fingers through her hair and letting a deep breath go. “I’ll tell her to stay back. I wish you would’ve told me sooner though,” 

“It’s one of those things that are harder to repeat than first hearing it,” 

“I hear that. Look,” Rosie reached for a set of swaddlers. The chubby lion was at the center of the sunflower yellow wrap, it’s big eyes and blocky mane striking a chord in Callie. 

She scoffed and sniffled again. “I don’t like the Leo lion thing,” she mumbled. 

“But this? This is fucking cute. I wish they would’ve had this kind of stuff when I had Joaquin,” 

“Mm… Nick would like it,” she noted, scanning the set and handing it back. “It is kinda cute,”

When a few more were handed down from Rosie, she scanned them, less enthusiastic as before. 

Rosie felt for her. She knew just as well how vicious their older sister could be, how willing she was to fire at people when they were at their lowest. 

In a heated argument once before, she’d asked Rosie how she could’ve made the mistake of leaving her children unattended long enough to find their way into death's arms, and it had been the cause of her second relapse back into Ambien, desperate to sleep away the words that were left branded into her skin. Sometimes, she had to remind herself that just because she’d patched the crack between them crudely didn’t mean others were ready to do the same. 

“No more talk about Trish, yeah? I’m sorry I brought it up, she’s just been at my neck about it,” Rosie sighed. 

“If she’s so adamant she should just come to me, but that’s like a nun touching a dick,” 

Rosie’s face soured. “Nick’s given you a foul mouth,”

“It’s cuz of _where_ my mouth has been-”

“Okay enough,” Rosie wiggled her hands before Callie’s face. “Your son is listening!”

“Poor thing was forced to listen to the fucking Nick laid on me today,” Callie panted playfully, fanning her cheeks. 

“You probably poked one of his eyes out,” Rosie said through the corner of her mouth, earning a hard smack to her arm. “Is that why you’ve been walking weird?” 

“Mind your own business.” Callie smarted, scanning three different brands of the baby slings Nick had told her of numerous times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're definitely shifting into a little slice of life kinda writing, but DON'T YOU ALL WORRY CUZ YOU KNOW I ALWAYS HAVE SOME SHIT JUST AROUND THE CORNER FOR THESE TWO <3 if anyone caught when callie said there was only a month left until Leo's predicted birth, it might give you a little insight as to when we might expect him! ;D i apologize the updates have been staggered! i hit a rather nasty bout of writers block and THEN artists block AND THEN DEVELOPED A SINUS INFECTION so i've been clogged in every aspect hahaha
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed the chapter! feedback is always appreciated! 💛
> 
> Translations:  
> -Nauk-avurn votar avo avhiuk liavavle ni, ah? - come home to this little one, ah?  
> -Jiak'll alwayuk nauk-avurn avo mausan girluk - i'll always return to my girls

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
>   
> **COMING SUMMER 2019**  
>   
> 


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